Power consumption in Ukraine rises 10-12% in Oct

MOSCOW. Oct 25 (Interfax) - Power consumption in Ukraine has risen 10-12% since the beginning of October as temperatures have fallen and the days have become shorter, said Andrei Gerus, head of the parliament's energy and housing services committee said.

"We have had higher power consumption over the past three weeks because the days are colder; our consumption has increased by about 10-12% compared to the first few days of October," Ukrainian media quoted him as saying during a national TV marathon.

He said the voluntary reduction of power consumption by households was helping, but was so far not enough, so the Ukrenergo dispatch center has had to introduce a temporary controlled limit on consumption in the regions to stabilize the power grid.

The voluntary reduction by households means power cut schedules no not have to be imposed as frequently.

Ukraine stopped exporting electricity on October 11 due to a shortage of capacity in the energy system, and stopped commercial electricity imports on October 24. Ukrenergo has introduced schedules to limit power supplies within the country to maintain balance and integrity of the country's energy system. This is also being aided by voluntary electricity savings by Ukrainian households.

The Energy Ministry estimates up to 40% of the country's generating capacity has been put out of action.