Missile fire damages 330 kV substation and 110 kV line in Ukraine

What happened

According to a Ministry of Energy report relayed by Transformer Magazine on 22 September 2023, a 330 kV substation was damaged by missile fire in one of Ukraine's regions, and several 110 kV substations were cut off as a result. Almost 49,000 consumers in 90 settlements lost electricity, and power was restored using backup lines. Separately, in the Kyiv Region, a 110 kV overhead line was damaged by missile fire, disconnecting a 110 kV substation that supplies Kyiv and the surrounding area.

Almost 5,000 consumers in the capital and 1,000 in the region were without power for less than an hour until backup lines restored supply. In the Donetsk Region, shelling damaged a 110 kV line, blacking out a 110 kV substation and leaving 19,000 consumers in seven settlements without electricity until repair crews restored the line. Some consumers in several other regions remained without power at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Missile and shelling attacks on the network, as stated by the Ministry of Energy. The source does not name the substations or the operator.

Lessons learned

1. Substations and lines that supply large populations need pre-planned backup supply routes that can be switched in quickly, as the restorations within the hour show.
2. Operators in conflict or high-threat areas should hold spare transformers and repair materials close to critical sites to shorten outage durations.
3. Restoration plans should prioritise the substations that feed the largest number of consumers, and report progress publicly so affected communities know when supply will return.

More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.

Source

transformer-magazine.com