Ukrainian Energy Ministry urges industrial consumers to import electricity
MOSCOW. April 22 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Energy Ministry urges non-domestic consumers to cover their electricity needs by importing from European countries as much as possible, which will allow businesses to avoid potential restrictions on consumption, Ukrainian media reported, citing Energy Minister German Galushchenko as saying during the United News national telethon on Monday.
"We urge businesses to use import opportunities so that we increase the volume of electricity inside the country," Galushchenko said.
The ministry is working to ramp up electricity import capacity from European countries beyond the currently set 1.7 GW, he said.
"However, there are hours when we do not choose this import. Therefore, we are currently working with enterprises and businesses to contract electricity imports as much as possible, thereby securing the guaranteed electricity supply for ourselves and making the energy system more sustainable," Galushchenko said.
He added that Ukraine has already made use of such experience in 2022-2023.
The Ukrainian government's resolution of October 27, 2023, which was initiated by the Energy Ministry, guarantees steady electricity supplies to industrial consumers on condition that they import a part of it, the ministry said.
At the same time, the volume of imports required to avoid power outages should amount to 50% of actual consumption in each accounting period from October to April and 30% from May to September.
"The enterprises importing electricity will not be subject to power supply restrictions in the event of their imposition. Only special schedules of emergency outages, which were introduced by the system operator in the event of an emergency to prevent an accident in the unified energy system, may be imposed," it said.
In accordance with the government decree of October 27, 2023, the distribution system operator (DSO, regional power company) is obligated not to apply such measures to non-domestic consumers in the event of the implementation of measures regarding forced electricity supply restrictions at the command of the transmission system operator, in which the volume of purchased imported electricity accounts for at least 30% of the total volume of electricity consumption in each accounting hour in May-September.
In accordance with the document, the DSO is obligated, at the request of the electricity supplier, to provide within three days a list of consumers who have an automated system of commercial electricity accounting, which provides the possibility of obtaining data on commercial electricity accounting in real time, and in respect of which there is a technical capacity of distribution systems not to apply measures to forcibly restrict electricity supply.
The document is valid during martial law and three months after its termination or lifting.
As reported, citing NEC Ukrenergo, electricity is being imported from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova with a total volume of 7,858 MWh throughout the day on April 22, with a peak capacity of up to 1,020 MW in some hours.
From December 1, 2023, the technical capacity of importing electricity from Europe to Ukraine and Moldova stands at 1,700 MW.