A boom in the construction of new distributed generation should be expected next year, electricity deficit in winter at average temperatures is expected to be 1.5 GW, which is lower than in July of this year, says advisor to the prime minister, member of the supervisory board of Ukrenergo Yuriy Boiko.

“Only state giants Naftogaz, Ukrnafta, Ukrtransnafta, and Ukrtransgaz have launched projects with a total capacity of more than 1 GW. In addition, relatively recently there was a meeting where Oschadbank declared that only it is carrying out projects for 500 MW of flexible distributed generation. Many projects have started. I think that by the beginning of the winter period a small percentage of what has been started will be completed, but by the end of the year, the numbers may rise. My forecast is that we will see a boom in the construction of distributed generation next year,” Boiko said during the panel discussion on energy issues at the Media Center Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.

He explained that this would be influenced by several factors, in particular, logistics and the duration of project implementation, as well as further intensification of the construction of generation for its own needs.

“The problems that will arise with energy supply in the winter to one degree or another will definitely change people’s attitude towards this issue. Economics, of course, will be present among the criteria by which final decisions on projects will be made, but one of the main ones will be the availability of guaranteed energy supply. Therefore next year we will increase this figure (of new capacities) by several times,” said the official.

During the discussion, he indicated that electricity shortage in July exceeded 2.5 GW at some times, but “in an average winter, the deficit will be less than what we saw during the last two or three weeks of July, sometime up to 1.5 GW."

Boiko drew attention to the fact that an active repair campaign is underway at thermal power plants and hydroelectric power stations to expand the corridor for the import of electricity, which now amounts to 1,700 MW.

“There are all prerequisites that this figure will be significantly expanded,” he said.

He also added that “the pace of recovery is on schedule.”

According to the director of the Energy Industry Research Center, Oleksandr Kharchenko, by the end of the year, significantly more than 1 GW of generating facilities damaged by Russian strikes will definitely be restored, but there will definitely not be such a capacity of new facilities.