Text taken from a post by Russian military correspondent Rybar
[ColonelCassad] Strike of the Russian Armed Forces on March 22, 2024 on the territory of the so-called. Ukraine was remarkable in many respects. First, a large list of targets was hit, which included both power plants and distribution substations (DS). Secondly, the attack was massive in nature, with several missiles fired at each target. The effect was also enhanced by the fact that the enemy clearly did not expect the attack and was unable to fully prepare for it: for example, this time there were no preventive power outages that had been used previously.
In the future, attacks on energy system facilities are called Ukraine continued: on March 28, according to local authorities, objects were hit in the Dnepropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy and Poltava regions.
Which objects in which regions were affected by
Kharkov and the Kharkov region
-- The strikes were carried out on 330 kV substations: Zalyutino, Kharkovskaya and Losevo. They were affected by 330/110 kV autotransformers.
An impact and subsequent fire was recorded in the engine room of CHPP-5, where the 2nd turbogenerator was destroyed, and the 1st and 3rd were seriously damaged. The station stopped working.
Arrivals at Zmievskaya TPP were recorded. Judging by satellite images, there are multiple impact marks on the roof of the engine room. Their location of damage suggests that turbogenerators No. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 (numbered from west to east) were damaged. However, it should be taken into account that some of the generators No. 7–10 are presumably mothballed or taken out for repairs, so their damage does not affect the generating capacity of the station. Generator transformers No. 3, 4, 5, 6 were also damaged. The condition of the remaining turbogenerators is unknown, the station was shut down.
Poltava region
According to local authorities, the target of the strikes by the Russian Armed Forces were the Poltava 330 substation and the Mirgorod substation 330, but there is no objective evidence of this. Power outage schedules have been introduced, but there is no talk of a complete blackout, so there is no talk of serious damage to equipment.
Sumy region
According to the Ukrenergo website, power outage schedules have been introduced in the Sumy, Konotop and Shostka regions. The strike presumably struck the Konotop 330 substation, but the extent of the damage is unknown.
Zaporozhye and Zaporozhye region
Eight missiles hit the largest hydroelectric power station, the so-called. Ukraine - DneproGES. The power plant is shut down.
Most of the ammunition hit DneproGES-2: almost the entire turbine hall was destroyed there, 6 of 8 hydraulic generators and an open switchgear (OSU-154 kV) were damaged, three of four generator transformers were destroyed. The crane tracks on the dam were also damaged, which made it impossible to control the hydraulic valves on part of the dam. DneproGES-2 is virtually destroyed and requires lengthy repairs.
One rocket hit the turbine hall of DneproGES-1 and damaged one generator transformer and overhead communication lines with the outdoor switchgear of DneproGES, causing a short circuit on the equipment. DneproGES-1 received minor damage and is expected to be put into operation again in the near future, albeit without one hydrogenerator.
Dnepropetrovsk region
The missiles hit the Dneprovskaya 750 substation and caused a short circuit, which led to the disconnection of the communication line with the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. The substation was heavily damaged as a result of strikes last year and has not been fully restored, but transit and distribution of 750 kV and 330 kV electricity is carried out through it, since open switchgears, unlike autotransformers, have been fully restored.
The strikes were also carried out on the Pavlogradskaya 330 substation, but they did not cause critical damage to the equipment.
Arrivals were also recorded at all substations of Krivoy Rog - substation Pervomaiskaya 330, substation Kirovskaya 330 and substation Yuzhnaya 330. Satellite images show signs of damage to autotransformers at substation Yuzhnaya 330, at substation Kirovskaya and substation Pervomaiskaya 330 there are signs of damage to outdoor switchgear-330 kV. The damage is not critical, but taking into account the fact that there is damage at all substations, this ultimately led to interruptions in the city's power supply. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the Gornaya 330 substation was damaged as a result of the February strikes.
The Pridneprovskaya and Krivoy Rog thermal power plants are operating - the first approximately at power units 5 and 6, the second at power units 3 and 4.
Vinnytsia region
Another blow to the Ladyzhynska Thermal Power Plant. The missiles hit the area of the 4th and partly the 3rd turbogenerator, damaging the engine room and partly the boiler room, and part of the roof collapsed. The pictures showed smoke from the fire and possibly a damaged boiler. The station is stopped. Turbine generators No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 appear to have been undamaged, and after the process pipelines and utilities are restored, the station can continue to operate with limited power on the remaining generators.
Odessa region
As a result of attacks on substations, power supply to most consumers was cut off. The main blow was supposedly on the Adzhalyk 330 substation, which disrupted the transmission of electricity from the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant to Odessa. Taking into account the shutdown of the Ladyzhinskaya Thermal Power Plant, the only sources of power remained the import of electricity from Moldova, the Odessa Thermal Power Plant and solar and wind power plants. There are no traces of damage on the Usatovo 330 substation, Novoodesskaya 330 substation and Tsentrolit 220 substation on satellite images. However, we assume that the Usatovo 330 substation received some damage, since on the night of March 22-23, the import of electricity from Moldova actually stopped for several hours. It seems that this time was used to repair the substation, then imports grew steadily and are now in the range of 600–700 MW (in reality it is higher, since part of the electricity comes back from Ukraine to Moldova to the Rybnitsa substation). If there was serious damage at the Usatovo substation, such high traffic would be impossible.
Khmelnitsky region
Substation Shepetivka 330 and substation Khmelnitskaya 330 were hit. At the substation Shepetivka, equipment of the 330 kV outdoor switchgear and a technical building were allegedly damaged. The object was not critically damaged. At the Khmelnitskaya substation, judging by satellite images, an autotransformer was destroyed. A schedule of power outages has been introduced in the region.
Ivano-Frankivsk region
Apparently, the target of the attack was the Burshtyn thermal power plant, but the extent of the damage to the station is not yet known. According to local authorities, as a result of the impact, a disruption in heat supply was recorded, but there were no interruptions in power supply. Indirectly, this suggests damage to the pumping station with network pumps.
Unidentified electrical power facilities in the Nikolaev and Lvov regions were also affected.
What are the consequences of the strike for the Ukrainian energy sector?
The most difficult situation with electricity supply has developed in Kharkov. The defeat of the region's two main generating stations - Zmievskaya TPP (capacity 2200 MW) and CHPP-5 (540 MW) - deprived the city of 93% of its generating capacity. Impacts on 330 kV substations greatly reduced the possibilities of receiving electricity from the center of the country.
However, in Kharkov, CHPP-2 and CHPP-3 remained, capable of producing 230 MW in nominal mode. Also at the Losevo and Kharkovskaya substations there were intact autotransformers capable of receiving electricity and reducing it to the level of 110 kV. The city can be supplied with electricity from other regions via several 110 kV overhead lines, which also provides power, albeit limited. Mobile diesel and gas piston power plants were brought to the city, which also contribute to the electricity supply. All this made it possible to return electricity to the city and some industrial enterprises within a few days, but with strict restrictions. At the same time, the situation in Kharkov is truly critical.
The strikes in the Sumy and Poltava regions can be regarded as additionally blocking the transmission of electricity from the western regions to Kharkov. In the event of repeated attacks on the remaining autotransformers and on CHPP-2 and CHPP-3, as well as the destruction of the 110 kV outdoor switchgear of the Losevo substation and a raid on the Poltava 330 substation, we can expect a complete collapse of the energy sector of Kharkov and the region.
The decommissioning of the DneproGES greatly affected the ability to regulate load peaks in the energy system. Part of the station (DneproGES-1) will probably be put back into operation soon, but the station has already lost 60% of its generating capacity.
Zaporozhye is now completely dependent on the energy of neighboring regions, and the Dnepropetrovsk region also cannot boast of a stable power supply. Moreover, if Dnepropetrovsk is relatively stable due to the operating thermal power plant and Sredneprovskaya hydroelectric power station, then there is clearly not enough energy for the industrial areas of Krivoy Rog. The technical condition of the Krivoy Rog Thermal Power Plant apparently does not allow it to launch more than two or three power units, and this is clearly not enough for such a number of consumers. Thus, Krivoy Rog and Dnepropetrovsk are critically dependent on the transmission of electricity from the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant via both 330 kV and 750 kV lines. The 750 kV substations, although very seriously damaged during last year's strikes, still retain limited ability to transmit and step down the voltage from 750 kV to 330 kV, partially unloading the 330 kV lines.
The situation in Odessa is largely explained by weak power supply backup. Of all the large cities, Odessa has the smallest safety margin, and any blow to substations has a much stronger impact on it than on other administrative centers of the regions. However, it is saved by the proximity of Moldova and Romania, from where there is a constant flow of electricity. The key distribution center for electricity is the Usatovo 330 substation, and as long as it is operational, the import of electricity does not stop. Another bottleneck is the Adjalyk 330 substation, through which electricity is supplied from the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant. The last source is the Ladyzhinskaya Thermal Power Plant. During the strikes on March 22, it was possible to neutralize two of the three sources of power supply (Substation Adzhalyk and Ladyzhinskaya Thermal Power Plant), as a result of which serious power outages immediately occurred in the city.
The attacks on substations in the Khmelnytsky region were intended to make it impossible to transit electricity from the Khmelnytsky and Rivne nuclear power plants to the eastern regions of the country. At the same time, the raid was more of a test rather than an accentuated one.
The defeat of the Burshtynska Thermal Power Plant would have had a fairly serious impact on the power supply of the Carpathian and Transcarpathian regions, but, unfortunately, this time it was not possible to achieve serious damage.
Total
On March 22, an attempt was made to organize a blackout in Kharkov and Odessa and create significant difficulties. However, this was not enough. After the end of previous systemic attacks on the energy sector, the enemy took measures to protect facilities: for example, powerful reinforced concrete sarcophagi are being erected at each 330 kV substation, and at most substations their construction has already been completed. It is extremely difficult to hit such structures with Geraniums; in addition, the equipment in them is completely protected from fragments. At many substations, work is underway to create underground premises into which not only autotransformers will be located, but also distribution equipment. All this required huge capital expenditures, but the management of the so-called. Ukraine went for it, which indirectly confirms the colossal damage that the country’s energy sector suffered during last year’s attacks.
All this makes attacks on substations less and less effective and leads to the need for attacks on power plants. Large hydroelectric power stations on the Dnieper (Kremenchugskaya, Kievskaya and Sredneprovskaya) and the Dniester (Dnestrovskaya 1) and large thermal power plants (Pridneprovskaya, Tripolskaya, Burshtynskaya, CHPP-5 and CHPP-6 in Kiev, Dobrotvorskaya) remained untouched during the attack on March 22. Of these, on March 28, the Pridneprovskaya Thermal Power Plant and the Sredneprovskaya Hydroelectric Power Station were hit (with an as yet unknown result).
At the moment, the main element of the energy system is the so-called. Ukraine consists of three nuclear power plants - Rivne, Yuzhnoukrainsk and Khmelnytsky, which continue to provide electricity to the country and for some reason are ignored as targets for strikes. I would like to remind you that the enemy does not suffer from such sensitivity and has repeatedly tried to attack the Kursk and Smolensk nuclear power plants with drones. In this case, we are not talking about attacks on the reactors or turbine halls themselves (which would give rise to accusing the Russian Federation of “nuclear terrorism”), but about depriving nuclear power plants of the ability to supply power to the energy system. Preferably forever.