Russian Drone Attack Shuts Down Ukraine Wind Farm, Causing Millions in Damages

Russian Drone Attack Shuts Down Ukraine Wind Farm, Causing Millions in Damages

Key Takeaways

• Russian drone attack cripples Ukraine’s energy infrastructure: A major drone assault on Odesa leads to electricity disruptions and the shutdown of a Ukrainian wind farm.
• Ongoing challenges: Russia’s intensified attacks on energy facilities, including wind farms, pose significant risks to Ukraine’s energy security.
• Response and implications: Efforts to safeguard critical energy facilities are underway, but the attack underscores the vulnerability of Ukraine’s infrastructure and threatens its renewable energy goals.

A major Russian drone attack on energy infrastructure in Odesa left parts of the region without electricity and a Ukrainian wind farm has been shut down as a result.

The wind farm and thermal power plant were both taken offline after the drones pummelled the port city of Odesa, according to Ukraine’s energy ministry.

The ministry reported that energy use in the Odesa region had been limited following the overnight attack.

The ministry did not specify which wind farm had been taken offline or if it had been damaged.

However, online database The Wind Power lists just two wind farms in the Odesa region.

One is the 32.4MW Ovid Wind farm, developed by Turkish construction and energy group Güriş and reportedly boasting nine GE Energy 3.6-137 turbines.

Güriş has stated that there had been no attack on the farm and it had not been asked to take it offline.

The other farm has reportedly been built by French renewables developer Valorem and is said to feature 40 turbines, although its capacity is unclear. Valorem was also approached for comment.

This is not the first time that Russian drones have attacked the farms in Ukraine.

In January, Russian drones destroyed a GE turbine at another wind farm in Ukraine built by UK developer Elementum Energy southeast of Kyiv.

Russia has stepped up its missile and drone attacks against Ukraine in recent days, hitting the DniproHES hydroelectric dam, the largest in Ukraine, on the Dnipro river.

Ukraine’s state hydropower company, Ukrhydroenergo, has reassured that there is no risk of a dam break despite damage caused.

Ukrhydroenergo recently reported that it has begun preparing an international legal claim against Russia over attacks on its facilities.

That includes the destruction last year of the 357MW Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River, which caused catastrophic flooding and hundreds of deaths.

Russia had control over the dam when a massive breach occurred, for which it denies responsibility.

The breach is thought to have been caused by explosives within the structure.

Despite these attacks, Ukraine remains committed to renewable energy. The state-owned Oschadbank recently committed to finance a new 520MW wind farm in the west of the country.

This shows that Ukraine is determined to continue its transition to clean energy, despite the challenges posed by Russia.