Almost 60,000 consumers in Kiev have to be reconnected to power supply using backup scheme - Energy Ministry

MOSCOW. March 18 (Interfax) - Two 110 kV power substations were cut off from electricity in Kiev on Sunday due to technical failures in the power grids, which resulted in power outages for 58,000 consumers and equipment of a water utility, Ukrainian media reported, citing the Energy Ministry.

All consumers are supplied with electricity using a backup scheme, it said.

Additionally, a thermal power plant in the Ivano-Frankovsk region, which was shut down for technological reasons, has resumed operations, and heat supply to its satellite city has been restored.

A unit of one of the thermal power plants was placed under emergency short-term repair, but, overall, the power system has enough reserves to cover the demand of household consumers and industry.

Commercial imports and exports of electricity are also planned, though their volumes have been falling for several days. For the current day imports will total 3,900 MWh, which is 8% lower than on Saturday, while exports will reach 2,000 MWh, which is almost a quarter less than on Saturday.

In total, 17,500 consumers are cut off from electricity in the Kharkov region, 8,200 consumers in 88 communities in the Sumy region, and 1,400 in 23 communities in the Chernigov region. There are 3,010 consumers without power supply in Kherson.

An underground gas pipeline was damaged during excavation work in a community in the Vyshgorod district of the Kiev region. Sixty consumers in the private sector, 19 consumers in apartment buildings and a hospital were cut off from gas supply.

A medium-pressure gas pipeline was damaged by a tractor plow in the Zolochev district of the Lvov region, leaving 220 consumers without gas supply.

The gas supply to 217 residential houses in the Stryi district was cut off for technological reasons.