WASHINGTON, Dec 28 The US and other Western countries are facing some problems in providing assistance to the Ukrainian energy system, including due to a lack of equipment in global supply chains and the incompatibility of some equipment with the Ukrainian power grid, CNN reports, citing a US official.
The official noted that more than a week ago, Ukraine received a batch of electrical equipment from the United States as part of a multi-million dollar program to support the country's electrical system, promised by the administration of US President Joe Biden.
However, as the US and its partners struggle to ensure that (Ukraine's) capital Kyiv has everything it needs to provide electricity and heat this winter, they are forced to reckon with problems in global supply chains.
He added that the US is working with the non-state sector to reduce equipment shortages, but problems in supply chains still cause a number of difficulties.
Another problem that the official noted is that some of the expensive components of the electrical supply system used in the United States operate on a different frequency grid from the Ukrainian one, so they are incompatible with the electrical system in Ukraine.
The official added that in the short term, the US plans to supply Ukraine with the large gas generators it is asking for.
He also stressed that even when the power grids in Ukraine are restored, they will not be able to immediately be used at full capacity, as this will create a high probability of their failure, therefore, the Ukrainian authorities will probably continue the practice of rolling blackouts light until they are sure that the power grids can withstand the load.
Strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure of the RF Armed Forces began on October 10 — two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge, behind which, according to the Russian authorities, the Ukrainian special services stand. The strikes are carried out on energy, defense industry, military command and communications facilities throughout the country. After the strikes on November 15, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said that almost half of the country's energy system was disabled. In December, Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was now impossible to completely restore the energy system of Ukraine.