Despite the fact that the Ukrainian Constitution declared Ukraine to be a unitary state, the country has an autonomous region to the south. This autonomous region is Crimea. The Crimea peninsula is very different in both economic and political terms when compared to the other regions in Ukraine. But the Crimean power industry and its problems closely resemble many countries that soon regretted their hasty decisions on shutting down nuclear generation projects.
The local electricity output in Crimea accounts for less than ten percent of the total electricity generation, and the peninsula could not possibly satisfy its own demand for power. Crimea receives electricity generated by the Ukrainian mainland power stations, transmitted along four lines to the region. These transmission lines are:
⢠330 kV Melitopol - Simferopol. â Major line that provides about 350-450 MW and covers up to forty percent of autumn-winter peak power demand in Crimea
⢠330 kV Kakhovka - Krasnoperekopsk -Dzhankoi.
⢠330 kV Kakhovka - Dzhankoi.
⢠220 kV Kakhovka - Ostrovskoye.
Their total transmission capacity is limited to less than 1.3 GW, whereas the maximum demand for electrical power in Crimea was about 1.5 GW in 1993.
As can be seen, the first-mentioned line is overloaded and the next three pass through Kakhovka. The Kakhovka lines from time to time face threat of flooding from water storage formerly intended for servicing the Crimean Soda Plant. In some cases, the transmission poles are only 40-50 meters from the affected areas. The poles have been in service for periods ranging between 20 and 40 years, and are said to have very low margins of safety. Should anything happen to any single pole, then Crimea would suffer a severe electricity shortage.
When it was part of the former USSR, Crimea tried to solve the energy supply problem through implementation of the Energy City Project in Scholkino, where three power plants (nuclear, wind and solar) were planned. More than a quarter of century has passed since construction of the nuclear power plant commenced (1976), and eighteen years since construction was terminated in 1989. The former USSR government invested about 550 mln. rubles or more in the project, i.e. around US$600 in prices of 1980/84. The 4GW project, as in many countries, fell victim to environmental concerns. Many nuclear power experts said that this plant would be able to allow Crimea to develop its power industry, and that the water moderated reactors in rigid housings posed no serious threat to the environment.
However, the nuclear power plant was put up for sale, and Crimea entered a lingering period of electricity deficit. Many Crimeans suffered a fall in the standard of living not only because of dissolution of the Soviet Union, but also because of continuous energy deficit.
Environmentalists fought for the alternative solar and wind plants. The solar power plant at Scholkino first generated electricity in September 1985, but was shut down forever in September 1994. Its mirrors are now almost incapable of reflecting light. During its nine years of operation, the solar plant generated 2GWh of electricity, although the project was supposed to ensure an annual output of 5.6GWh.
The wind power plant is currently under construction. Of the 20 turbine towers planned, the 12 towers of the Aktash wind power plant have already been built. The plant at Aktash has a total capacity of 4MW, and it will be a constituent part of the Eastern Crimea Wind Power System, which is due to have hundreds of turbine towers to generate 500MW for the Crimea Grid. Eleven turbine towers are installed in Donuzlav. Provision has been made for the installation of turbine towers in the Arabat and Sudak sites. A 1.2 MW windmill was commissioned at Saki in 2006. The activity around the wind and solar power projects may give some greens comfort to think Crimea will be energy sufficient in the nearest future, but that is nothing short of self-delusion when you decide to compare wind and solar figures with the real demand for electricity.
The central Ukrainian government has decided to tackle the problem by improving the transmission capacity from mainland Ukraine to Crimea and by increasing local generation capacity to 400 MW over the coming four years. Today, the electricity demand and consumption are actually much lower than those in early 1990s, but the consumption increased by 30 percent in 2006 and is expected to exceed its historical maximum of 9 TWh in 2010 without considering any sizable investment into the Crimean resort industry. On the other hand, the Crimean authorities are planning to build a large network of medium-quality hotels in the near future. What will environmentalists say in 2010s, when all the air conditioners in the Crimean hotels will work in the summer and heaters in the winter?
Vyacheslav Melnik
http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/nuclear-power-regains-respect-among-ukrainians-108966.html