Russia has seized most of Ukraine’s wind farms

During the first 8 months of the war, Ukraine lost a significant part of its “green” energy due to the occupation of the southern regions by Russian troops. According to the Center for Journalistic Investigations, up to 90% of wind and up to 50% of solar power plants are under the control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions were the most affected, where some of the largest solar power plants of Ukraine and Eastern Europe were located.

Some of them were partially destroyed by shelling, others continue to work in favor of the Russian Federation. Russian troops also ransacked some stations, stealing solar panels and other equipment.

Wind farms also suffered significant losses due to damage to power lines and the forced evacuation of personnel. However, part of the equipment was taken to the territory controlled by Ukraine.

According to the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko, in 2022 alone, the country will lose 90% of wind energy and 45% of solar energy. In general, 40% of renewable energy facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson region and Zaporizhzhia are under Russian control.

As for the Kherson region, there is no information on the exact number of surviving SESs and their technical condition. It is only known that the Russian energy company conducted an inventory of local photovoltaic power plants in July 2023.

In the temporarily occupied Kherson region, 23 solar power plants (SPPs) were discovered, similar in scale and power to Zaporizhzhia. The two largest of them, located in the villages of Kostogryzove and Vynohradove of the Oleshkiv district, suffered significant damage, according to satellite data.

The Oleshkiv SPP with a capacity of 16 MW was completely destroyed. On the other hand, SPPs in the coastal settlements of the Left Bank and along the Dnieper were not visually damaged, and there is no information about their damage.

Before the start of the full-scale war, the total capacity of solar power plants in Ukraine reached 6230 MW. Currently, 40% of this capacity, located in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, is controlled by Russia.