Accident in an Odesa substation leaves the city and surrounding region without power

Odesa and parts of the surrounding region were left without electricity for the second time in 24 hours, due to a “large accident” at a major energy infrastructure facility, reports state energy company Ukrenergo.

According to a Ukrenergo press release, a transformer, which had been restored following Russian shelling, failed at a high-voltage substation. The company added that the scale of the accident was “quite significant,” and couldn’t say when power will be restored.

Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa regional military administration, urged residents to be patient, posting on Telegram, “Believe me, it’s much harder for the people fixing this accident than for the people who have no lights because of it.” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal ordered the Ministry of Energy to send all the powerful generators it has available to Odesa within 24 hours.

A similar accident on Friday knocked out power to several districts in Odesa and parts of the surrounding region. Power was restored following that accident on Friday evening.