Power Supplies & Winter Cold – NRK Østfold

Ever since the start of the full-scale war on 24 February 2022, a number of countries in Europe have supplied Ukraine with power equipment.

Now when winter is at its coldest, Russia is intensifying its attack on the power supply and using the cold as a weapon.

The Reuters news agency reports that 5,635 blocks of flats are without heat, following a combined drone and missile attack on the capital Kyiv on Tuesday night.

– A barbaric attack, says Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha.

A state of emergency has been introduced in the country, and the Ukrainians have developed their own apps that tell the citizens when and where the energy grid is most exposed, and when new attacks are underway.

Here at home, the Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness (DSB) has called for donations of more aggregates to Ukraine.

Critical situation

In Raude Kross, regional manager for Europe, Ane Tvedt, says that they have set up many warming tents in Kyiv.

It is reported that 200,000 people now lack heat in the capital region, while 75,000 do not have electricity.

– For civilians, it is one of the most difficult situations we have seen so far in the war, says Tvedt.

The situation in Kyiv is still critical. Electricity is rationed, and residents cannot count on having electricity 24 hours a day.

Raude Kross operates many heating stations and several field kitchens in Kyiv, where people can get food and help to keep warm.

– We give out winter packs with blankets and sleeping bags, also to our own employees who also don’t have heat at home, Tvedt says.

In January alone, there has been a long series of attacks against the power supply in Ukraine, as this map shows.

Need all types of material

The Ukrainians still have a great need for spare equipment to repair the electrical installations that are bombed. Here, Norway contributed together with other European countries by supplying the country with material.

Norway has so far provided power equipment worth NOK 11.7 billion to the energy supply in Ukraine.

And in the autumn, the government decided to give NOK 1.5 billion for gas purchases to ensure electricity and heat for the winter.

The Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness (DSB) coordinates the power assistance.

– Norway has donated many generators, entire substations, trucks with cranes to repair power lines, specialized equipment and quantities of smaller materials, says press officer Morten Harangen at DSB.

Want aggregate from all over the country

DSB is now asking all businesses, including municipalities, to contribute with functioning power generators.

– All robust and functioning aggregates, both large and small, can make a real difference to life and health, says director Elisabeth Aarsæther.

One of the companies that has already contributed is the power company Hafslund.

The power company was to replace the emergency generator at the Vamma power station in Indre Østfold – a machine from Rolls-Royce.

Until 2023, it ensures the operation of Norway’s largest river power plant in Glomma for a number of years, and has the capacity to supply a small hospital with electricity.

Stian Amundsen at Hafslund Kraft was given the job of giving it a new life.

– It was in good condition, but the electronics started to become outdated, he explains.

A secret shipment

One summer day, a semi-trailer rolled down the narrow road to the Vamma power station, and the blue aggregate was lifted onto the plane behind.

The details of the transport of power equipment to Ukraine are not shared with anyone, out of concern for security.

The unit from Vamma was driven to a depot in central Poland and from there transported into Ukraine.

Here it was initially to be used at a regional hospital in a larger city.

But sometimes equipment ends up in other places than planned because Ukrainian authorities see that the need is greater elsewhere.

Change mission

– Since Ukraine is a country at war, recipients can be changed at short notice, depending on the course of the warsays Morten Harangen in DSB.

According to DSB, the blue-painted unit from Vamma has been sent closer to the war zone and the front line than originally planned.

They can confirm this via an EU agency they work with to document that equipment and material donated to Ukraine, becomes used as intended.

– Ukraine’s state grid company Ukrenergo has sent the Vamma unit further east in the country, says Harangen.

Exactly what job it does, nothing is said about. It will be kept secret. But we get a picture where the surroundings are blurry.

Will continue to support

For the Norwegian authorities, the information provides certainty that the equipment will arrive anyway.

The signal from the Norwegian power industry is that the help will continue as long as there is a need.

At Hafslund Kraft, managing director Kristin Lian is happy that their old units are in use on the Ukrainian side, close to the front line.

– It’s great that our generator can come in handy and contribute to supplying energy to critical infrastructure when the country is at war, says Lian.