How Ukraine avoided blackouts during record heat wave

Ukraine successfully averted power shortages and blackouts during a historic heat wave, thanks to a combination of factors, according to former Energy Minister Olha Buslavets. The nation had a surplus of electricity generation, partly due to reserve thermal power units that were unable to export electricity because of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) tax.

Furthermore, the state nuclear operator, Energoatom, decided to postpone maintenance on a nuclear power unit starting late July, allowing it to continue operating at reduced capacity while another unit returned from repairs. Buslavets emphasized that this was a well-considered decision, as optimizing the repair schedule ensured there would be sufficient fuel to extend the unit's operation and that compensating capacity would come online.

Another contributing factor was a decrease in electricity consumption during early 2026, driven by businesses generating power for self-consumption and the shutdown of some industrial enterprises due to Russian attacks on port infrastructure and vessels. Specifically, the Southern Mining and Processing Plant and Ferrexpo group enterprises suspended operations.

Ukraine's overall electricity consumption in the unified power grid decreased by 6% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year, with industrial consumption dropping by 13%. Currently, seven out of nine nuclear power units located in non-occupied Ukrainian territory are functioning. In late July, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal warned that if the war persisted, Ukraine would face another winter with Russian attacks on its energy system.