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Ukraine Builds New Battery Sites to Keep Power Flowing During Russian Strikes
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine has established a network of battery parks designed to sustain the national power grid in case of Russian missile or drone strikes, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 6.
The locations of these sites, as well as their protective systems, remain undisclosed for security reasons.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the battery installations were supplied by the American company Fluence under a $140 million program completed in August 2025.
Six of these facilities are connected to the national grid and can automatically supply power when other sources, such as thermal power plants, go offline.
The combined capacity of Ukraine’s battery parks is 200 megawatts, which can provide electricity for around 600,000 households—roughly equivalent to the population of Washington, D.C.—for up to two hours. This temporary support gives engineers time to restore damaged sections of the grid after attacks.
Vadym Utkin, energy storage advisor at DTEK, told The Wall Street Journal that the modular design of the system allows easy replacement of individual units. “If one of them is damaged, it’s not the end of the world. I would cry and swear, but honestly, replacing one cube is not that hard,” Utkin said.
Utkin also recalled that in 2021 he supervised the construction of a similar battery park in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, which was later seized by Russian forces.
Just hours before their arrival, he deleted the software controlling the batteries, effectively turning them into what he called “expensive bricks.”
As The Wall Street Journal noted, the Ukrainian government has classified both the exact locations of the new facilities and the measures used to protect them, including air defense systems. The secrecy aims to prevent the sites from becoming targets in future Russian attacks.
The US-made batteries, according to the report, are intended to “plug holes and stabilize energy supply in Ukraine, providing an alternative power source even if the main grid is under attack.”
Earlier, on September 27, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that if Russia continues to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, “there will be a blackout in Russia’s capital.” Speaking at a press briefing, he said this stance had been discussed with US President Donald Trump, underscoring Ukraine’s readiness to respond to further attacks on its power grid.
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