Fire reported at Novocherkassk Power Plant in Russia’s Rostov VIDEO / PHOTO

On January 12, the Novocherkassk State District Power Plant (GRES) in Russia’s Rostov region caught fire following an attack, according to local residents and eyewitness footage shared online. 

Emergency services were dispatched to the scene and are currently extinguishing the fire.

Open source intelligence analysts from ASTRA suggest that the fire broke out at an outdoor switchgear facility, a critical component through which electricity generated by the plant is transmitted to the power grid.

The Novocherkassk GRES is one of the largest and most powerful power plants in southern Russia. The coal-fired facility, which also uses natural gas as a backup fuel, has been targeted multiple times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev