Power cuts may resume in Ukraine as other NPP units shut down for maintenance

MOSCOW. May 30 (Interfax) - Electricity supply restrictions that have been absent in Ukraine for the past two days after two nuclear power plant (NPP) reactor units were reconnected to the grid may be resumed within the next few days as other reactor units will undergo maintenance, Energoatom acting head Pyotr Kotin said.

"Eight reactor units are now operating. There have been no restrictions for two days, because we reconnected two reactor units (on May 26 and May 27) after maintenance. But other reactor units will be shut down for maintenance in two days, and, I think, Ukrenergo will reintroduce restrictions then," Ukrainian media quoted Kotin as saying at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada's Energy Committee on Wednesday.

The units that will be shut down for maintenance will be put back into operation in two months' time, he said.

As reported, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko pledged that all of Ukraine's nine available NPP units, with a total capacity of 7.8 GW, would be in operation before the beginning of winter.

According to DiXi Group scenarios, Ukraine may encounter blackouts for up to 21%-35% of the time this summer.