Energy invincibility: energy workers of the DTEK Donetsk Grids eliminated 11,500 damages of power facilities since the beginning of the full-scale war
Since February 24, 2022, energy workers of the DTEK Donetsk Grids restored operation of a total of 10,500 power lines and 976 substations, transformer and distribution points in the Donetsk region. Energy workers managed to repair the lion’s share of power facilities, excluding the ones located in the area of hostilities or in the already occupied territories.
“Despite constant danger, our energy workers continue to restore power supply after each enemy attack. Some power lines had to be brought back to life after shelling dozens of times. Though it is exhausting, difficult, depressing – our specialists are motivated by every illuminated home, every operating hospital and school, every working business. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, energy workers of the DTEK Donetsk Grids restored electricity to 9.7 mln customers*. For three years in a row, we have been demonstrating invincibility and doing everything possible, and sometimes impossible, for stability of the energy system of the region,” – noted the company. 
Energy workers commence works on the damaged grids only upon permission of the military and SES. However, our enemy is insidious, and the crews may come under fire at any time anywhere. Over the course of three years of the full-scale invasion, DTEK Donetsk Grids restoration crews came under fire during restoration of electricity more than 150 times. Unfortunately, 17 specialists of the energy company were wounded.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, enemy’s actions in the Donetsk region affected 10,900 power facilities of DTEK Donetsk Grids. This is both a complete destruction, when we had to practically build lines or substations anew, and a partial damage, when company’s equipment was affected by debris of air bombs, missiles, drones, MLRS, artillery or shock wave. Energy workers managed to restore the lion’s share of power facilities, except for the ones located in the area of hostilities or in the already occupied territories. 
“Over 1,000 days of a full-scale war, we have repaired 27,000 km of power lines and restored electricity to more than 9 million of our customers. And we will keep restoring it until it remains possible at all. As we understand that electricity is a condition for normal life and stability for further resistance. And though restoring electricity in the Donetsk region becomes more and more difficult and dangerous, and sometimes it is currently impossible, we shall continue fighting for the power supply of our customers. Just like we have been doing for 10 years already, since russia first invaded our country,” – noted the company.
During repairs after enemy attacks, energy workers learned to determine the proximity of the cannonade by sound, watch their steps due to possible mine danger, underwent pre-medical aid course. And they learned to timely hide from shelling, as much as it is possible, as a lot of lines are laid in the open field and often close to the area of fighting. Regardless of how the situation in the Donetsk region has been developing over these thousand days, energy workers continued to maintain stability of the regional energy system, repaired damaged facilities, replaced the destroyed ones, promptly re-designed power supply schemes according to the situation.
Restoring power supply to the de-occupied territories was a specific challenge. Energy workers were the first ones to enter de-occupied settlements after the military. The works were extremely difficult both due to large-scale mining of the territories and due to close proximity to the frontline, where the enemy was able to actively shell towns and villages. Power supply has been restored to homes of more than 15,000 families in more than 20 settlements. It was critical for restoring the normal life of the de-occupied communities. 
DTEK Donetsk Grids specialists are doing everything possible to maintain the energy system of the region as much as it is possible in the conditions of constant hostilities in the region. They commence work immediately after obtaining permission and access to the site of damage from the AFU and SES. However, their work remains dangerous: since the beginning of 2024 alone, the crews came under fire during performance of restoration activities more than 40 times. 6 energy workers were wounded. Over the course of a thousand days of the full-scale invasion, a total of 17 energy workers of DTEK Donetsk Grids were wounded during performance of restoration activities.
*considering that some customers had electricity restored to them on dozens of occasions