Ukraine should prepare for power outages lasting for several days - DTEK top manager

MOSCOW. Nov 17 (Interfax) - The major damage caused to Ukraine's power facilities on November 15 and 17 are likely to require power outages that might last for several days, DTEK Executive Director Dmitry Sakharuk said.

"We are going to talk not about scheduled power outages but about scheduled periods of power supply in some regions, which are numerous. Unfortunately, electricity might be available for only a few hours, like two or three hours a day," Ukrainian media quoted Sakharuk as saying on the ICTV channel on Thursday.

Damage has been caused to substations that transmit electricity from one district to another and through which many regions in the central and western parts of Ukraine are connected to the grid, Sakharuk said. In addition, one of DTEK's power and heating plants has suspended operations due to damage caused to it on November 15, he said.

About 40% of Ukrainian consumers are currently experiencing serious electricity supply problems, Sakharuk said. "I don't have forecasts thus far as to when this figure could be reduced," he said.

At the same time, Sakharuk described the situation as difficult but controllable.