A fire broke out at the «NS-16» electrical substation in the Kirovsky District of the temporarily occupied Crimea, located between Novopokrovka and Vladislavivka. The «Crimean Wind» monitoring group reported the fire after analysing satellite imagery. The substation supplies electricity to local settlements and to a pumping station that transfers water to the Feodosia Reservoir.
Briefly about the main points
- The fire on NS-16 was detected by satellite systems.
- The substation is situated between Novopokrovka and Vladislavivka.
- It supplies the pumping station near the Feodosia Reservoir.
- The water supply may depend on contingency plans and water reserves.
What is known about the fire
The source of the fire was detected on the premises of the 110/35/6–10 kV «NS-16» substation. No information is currently available regarding the extent of the fire, its cause or the damage to the main equipment.
The occupying authorities in Crimea have not reported any emergency power cuts specifically in the Kirovsky District. Nor is there any public information as to whether the facility or its associated pumping station has been switched to backup power.
The water supply system for Feodosia and Sudak
NS-16 powers the pumping station of the same name near the Feodosia Reservoir. The station pumps water from the supply canal into the reservoir; according to the Russian-controlled «Krymmeliovodkhoz», this route is linked to the supply of drinking water to Feodosia and Sudak.
The pumping station was built in 1971. It comprises pumping units, a pressure pipeline and cable infrastructure. The installed capacity of the equipment is approximately 4 MW, and its flow rate is up to 4.87 cubic metres of water per second.
Reports from the facility operator for previous years mentioned the maintenance of electric motors, cables, the vacuum system and the NS-16 electric valves. This indicates that the operation of the pumping station is directly dependent on the electrical and cabling infrastructure.
What will the consequences depend on?
The mere fact that a fire has broken out does not mean that the water supply to consumers will be cut off immediately. The key factors are the condition of the transformers, distribution equipment and cable lines; the availability of a backup power supply; the duration of the repairs; and the water reserves in the reservoir.
If the damage has affected the power supply to the pumping units, the incident may slow down or prevent the transfer of water to the reservoir.
The incident against the backdrop of problems with the Crimean power grid
In July, monitoring groups reported that fires at other electrical substations the occupied peninsula, notably on 20 July at the «Pryvitne» substation near Alushta. Power cuts were also reported in various parts of Crimea.
On 8 July, Sergey Aksyonov, the occupying administrator of Crimea, announced that discussions were taking place regarding the establishment and replenishment of an emergency reserve to address operational disruptions in the energy sector. Against this backdrop, the speed of any potential restoration of NS-16 may depend not only on the extent of local damage, but also on the availability of grid and emergency reserves.
