Ukrenergo completes 1st stage of passive protection for critical equipment, to finish second by Q1 2026 – Supervisory Board member
National Power Company Ukrenergo has fully completed the first stage of passive protection structures for substation (SS) equipment and plans to complete the second stage in the first quarter of 2026, Supervisory Board member Yuriy Boyko said.
"There are construction stages for protective structures because this requires de-energizing equipment. Accordingly, it is impossible to carry out work simultaneously across the entire substation site or on all facilities, since they must supply electricity. We have already completed the first stage. Construction of the second stage is now actively underway. By year-end, more than 80% of the second stage should be complete. Full completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026," Boyko said at a briefing at Ukraine Media Center in Kyiv on Thursday.
He noted that in various regions, especially near the front line, work is often interrupted due to alerts and military risks, meaning its pace cannot be the same everywhere.
Boyko also explained that a substation site covers 20–70 hectares, so enclosing it entirely with a protective "sarcophagus" is impossible. Resources and efforts must therefore be concentrated on the most critical elements, particularly autotransformers, which, he said, "the Russians actively targeted in the first year of the war." To protect substation equipment, a plan has been developed to build structures around its key components, the board member said.
As reported, during a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov to coordinate officials, regional administrations, and energy companies to procure additional short- and medium-range air defense systems and increase funding for drone manufacturers. The priority is shooting down Shahed drones.
