Ukraine is facing electricity shortage, emergency aid from Europe has been brought in, there are limitations - energy officials
Kyiv • UNN
Due to Russian attacks and cold weather, Ukraine is facing electricity shortages, which have resulted in consumption restrictions for business and industry from 6 to 10 pm, with the exception of critical infrastructure and defense enterprises, while households in Kharkiv region continue to experience power outages.
Restrictions on electricity consumption are in effect only in Kharkiv region, Kryvyi Rih and for industry in Donetsk region. There is a shortage in the power system, and emergency aid from Europe has been brought in. From 18:00 to 22:00, there will be restrictions for business and industry. Due to the shelling, there are homes without gas in Chernihiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv regions, and heating networks in Kherson have been damaged. This was reported on Thursday by the Ministry of Energy and NPC Ukrenergo, UNN reports.
Details
"Due to network restrictions on the transmission system operator's lines, blackout schedules were applied in Kharkiv region and for industry in Kryvyi Rih and Donetsk region, and the restrictions are still in effect today," the Energy Ministry said.
"Electricity shortages are present in the power system today for almost the entire day. It is caused by the damage that the Russians inflicted with missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian power plants," Ukrenergo said, adding that emergency assistance from the power systems of European countries is being called in in the morning and afternoon.
Yesterday, during the evening peak hours, the ministry said, emergency electricity was also supplied from Romania, Poland and Slovakia. The amount of aid reportedly amounted to less than one percent of daily electricity consumption.
"As of this morning, emergency assistance from the transmission system operators of these countries is also being sought. The projected volume of electricity involved will be about 2% of total consumption," the ministry said.
"As of this morning, there are no restrictions for consumers (except for Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih)," the Ministry of Energy said.
However, given the damage caused by the Russian attacks and the cold snap, the Ministry of Energy noted, "it is important to consume electricity reasonably." They called for a reduction in the use of energy-intensive appliances during peak hours (from 19:00 to 22:00).
"From 18:00 to 22:00, power limitation schedules will be applied to business and industry. These measures will not affect critical infrastructure facilities and defense companies. For household consumers, consumption restrictions continue to apply in Kharkiv region," Ukrenergo also noted.
Outages due to shelling, bad weather and other reasons
"As a result of an enemy attack in Chernihiv, gas supply was interrupted to almost 500 consumers yesterday. During the day, gas supplies were restored to almost all customers. As of this morning, about 100 customers remain without natural gas," the agency said.
"As a result of night shelling, heating networks were damaged in Kherson," the Energy Ministry said.
According to the ministry, the hostilities damaged a medium-pressure above-ground gas distribution pipeline in Dnipropetrovs'k region. Gas supply to almost 300 subscribers was cut off. The shelling also damaged a medium-pressure gas pipeline in Kharkiv region. The emergency has been localized, with some consumers disconnected.
According to Ukrenergo, 5 settlements in Kyiv and Sumy regions are without power due to the weather. For other reasons, 402 settlements were cut off from electricity in the morning. Due to hostilities: there are power outages in Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Sumska, Kharkivska oblasts. Due to technological disruptions: there are power outages in Kirovohrad, Sumy, Chernihiv regions.
Situation at ZNPP
"There is enough water in the cooling pond to meet the needs of the plant," the Ministry of Energy said.
Import and export
For the current day, electricity imports are projected at 9,600 MWh. No exports are expected, the ministry said.
According to Ukrenergo, imports are planned from Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Moldova.
