Ukrainian missile strike likely disabled thermal power plant in Belgorod
According to Russian media, on the night of 18 February, a Ukrainian missile strike likely damaged the gas-turbine thermal power plant (TPP) “Michurinskaya” in Belgorod, owned by GT Energo. The exact extent of the damage and its impact on the region’s energy supply are still being clarified.
This was reported by the local Telegram channel “Pepel”, which also showed the aftermath of the strike.
In the morning, residents also reported power outages in several districts of the Russian city.
The Michurinskaya plant mainly supplies electricity to industrial sites and administrative buildings of the Belenergomash – BZEM factory and is not part of the city’s central heating network. The enterprise specialises in equipment for the energy, oil and gas, petrochemical, and nuclear industries in Russia.
According to the company’s website, the Michurinskaya TPP has an electrical capacity of 24.2 MW and a thermal capacity of 80 Gcal/hour. Residents of Belgorod will reportedly be without hot water until the end of April.
For context, over 220,000 people in Belgorod region have experienced power outages. In Bryansk, a blackout also occurred following a Ukrainian attack.
Earlier, most of Belgorod and eight districts of the region were left without electricity after a major infrastructure object was damaged in a missile strike on 3 February. Substations hit included Frunzenskaya (330/110/10 kV, 50 Hz) near Dragunskoe village and Belgorod (330/110 kV, 50 Hz) near Storozhova Street.
