Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchishin announced Dec. 3 that an accident had taken place Nov. 28 at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. Demchishin said that while the accident did not pose a threat to public safety, it did affect the electricity transmission system and was causing electricity shortages. The incident forced the plant to take one of its six 1,000-megawatt reactors offline until Dec. 5. The move comes as Ukraine is already experiencing electricity shortages resulting from a shortage in coal supplies. While this disruption to nuclear electricity generation is temporary, the resulting increase in blackouts will put more pressure on Kiev to ensure that Ukraine has access to sufficient and affordable sources of electricity.
Ukraine relies on nuclear power plants for about 45 percent of its electricity needs. The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine, is the country's largest, with six reactors and a total capacity of 6,000 megawatts. This accident, however, has put Unit 3 of the plant offline since Nov. 28, and scheduled maintenance has put Unit 1 offline since Sept. 6, leaving the plant's total power generation at only 4,038 megawatts.
The impairment of the Zaporizhia plant comes amid a nationwide electricity shortage, mainly resulting from the impact of the ongoing conflict in the country's east and separatist control over much of Ukraine's coal reserves. Ukraine generates about 40 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power plants. Most of the country's coal reserves, however, are located in the Donbas region where the conflict with pro-Russia militants is ongoing. In October, coal reserves at Ukraine's thermal power stations were more than 50 percent lower than in October 2013. Disruptions to coal shipments from Russia, as well as the high cost of importing coal from countries such as South Africa, have exacerbated shortages. As a result, the government has warned some Ukrainian towns, especially in the country's west, of upcoming rolling blackouts. In response, many schools have announced extended winter breaks for students to conserve electricity and lower heating costs.
On Dec. 2, Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo announced that it is implementing a 2,800 megawatt rolling blackout plan to make up for shortages experienced throughout Ukraine's energy system. Kiev expects the technical issues impacting Unit 3 at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to be resolved by Dec. 5. The accident, however, highlights the impact of the ongoing crisis on Ukraine's energy sector as a whole. As in other countries, nuclear power plants in Ukraine routinely disconnect one of their reactors for maintenance purposes. Because of the conflict in its eastern regions, however, Ukraine is operating on thin margins and such routine issues can have larger impacts. As winter begins and separatist control of some coal resources in the country's east contributes to coal shortages, minor accidents or disturbances can cause an increase in blackouts.
Ukraine's energy shortage is a key Russian lever in ongoing negotiations with Ukraine. Exploiting this vulnerability offers the Kremlin increased influence over Kiev's future foreign policy and security orientation, as well as over the status of eastern Ukraine. Russia has stepped in to provide coal to fill shortages caused by the difficulties of accessing coal in the Donbas region. Recently, however, Russia has disrupted its deliveries, demonstrating the Kremlin's willingness to use coal supplies as a lever to pressure Kiev. Ukraine also relies on Russia for most of its nuclear fuel. Shortages will force Ukraine to become more reliant on Russia or seek more expensive alternatives abroad.
