(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have left consumers without power in four regions of Ukraine, while bad weather knocked out supply to more than 30 settlements in four other regions, national grid operator Ukrenergo reported on the morning of 29 July.
The company said the affected regions from military strikes are Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv. Emergency repair work has already begun in all areas where the security situation allows crews to operate safely.
Separately, thunderstorms and strong winds caused full or partial blackouts in more than 30 settlements across Kyiv, Zakarpattia, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions. Repair teams from regional power distribution companies are working to restore damaged lines.
Despite the disruptions, overall electricity consumption in the country is trending downward. As of 09:30 on 29 July, consumption was 11.1 percent lower than at the same time the previous day, a Tuesday. Clear weather across most of Ukraine allowed household solar panels to operate at high efficiency, reducing the volume of power drawn from the main grid.
On 28 July, the daily peak in consumption was recorded in the evening. That peak was 5.3 percent lower than the maximum reached a day earlier on Monday 27 July. The operator attributed the decline to cooling temperatures and lower use of air conditioning units.
Ukrenergo repeated its advice for consumers to shift the use of heavy appliances such as washing machines, ovens and heaters to the window between 10:00 and 16:00. That period coincides with the most productive hours for industrial solar power stations and helps balance the grid.
The damage from military action and weather events adds to the ongoing financial strain on Ukraine’s energy system. Earlier government estimates put the cost of urgent repairs to power generation and transmission assets at more than USD 1 billion, equivalent to roughly GBP 780 million or EUR 910 million, and around 41 billion Ukrainian hryvnia at current exchange rates. No fresh repair cost figures were included in the latest grid update.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has separately flagged problems with water supply at the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, adding another layer of concern for Ukraine’s broader energy stability.