Ukraine's nuclear power share surged to about 70%-80% during the war after Russia's 2022 invasion damaged up to 10 gigawatts of capacity, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Ukraine's nuclear fleet included four plants with 15 reactors when the war began, but the Zaporizhzhia facility, the largest in Europe, fell under Russian control in 2022 and was taken offline soon after.
State-run Energoatom said nuclear energy already contributed over half of electricity output before the war, forming a critical pillar of the country's power system.
Energoatom said nuclear output rose to roughly 70% of total electricity generation during the war, driven not by new capacity additions but by widespread damage to other power-producing facilities
An industry source cited earlier in the year said nuclear output at times met as much as 80% of domestic electricity demand.
Energoatom said sustained attacks on thermal plants, combined with fuel shortages and infrastructure damage, forced nuclear facilities to become the primary stabilizing force in the grid, the analysis added.
Thermal power once supplied as much as 35% of Ukraine's electricity needs before 2022, but its share has since dropped sharply following widespread damage to energy infrastructure.
DiXi Group said nuclear power now plays a more critical role in Ukraine's energy mix than it did in early 2022, even after the country lost control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, which represents 43% of total installed nuclear capacity.
Data cited by the group showed that Russian attacks damaged all major thermal and hydropower plants, with about 10 GW impacted in 2024, versus total consumption of about 18 GW.
DiXi Group said risks extend beyond reactors to the transmission network, with Russian strikes damaging key substations and limiting output at the South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyi plants, preventing them from operating at full capacity.
The conflict has also prompted structural shifts, with Ukraine commissioning a spent nuclear fuel storage facility after 2022, eliminating its earlier reliance on Russia for handling nuclear waste.
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