Ukrainian power grid keeps experiencing shortage, emergency outages expected in one-third of regions

MOSCOW. Dec 8 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian power grids continued to experience significant power shortages as of 11:00 a.m. Thursday, and outage schedules have been introduced in certain regions as the local grid operators exceeded consumption limits, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the national power grid operator Ukrenergo's social media post on Thursday.

"The most challenging situation remains in the eastern part of the country. The state of power grids is being examined where the situation allows for it," Ukrenergo said.

The situation has been complicated by adverse weather conditions, with low temperatures, rain and snow mixed, and strong winds causing wire icing and damage.

Repair work is proceeding round the clock in the Kiev and Odessa regions, Ukrenergo said. In particular, households are being hooked up to the grid using reserve routes in Odessa, it said.

DTEK Odessa Grids announced in the early hours of December 8 that power supply in the city would be resumed and warned the users to switch off electric appliances to avoid their possible damage.

The local grid operators in the Lvov, Cherkassy, Chernigov, Chernovtsy, Nikolayev, Prikarpattia, Zakarpattia, Rovno, Vinnitsa, Volyn, Khmelnitsky, Sumy, and Kirovograd regions announced hourly outage schedules for December 8 on their websites and social accounts.

Some of the operators warned that they somewhat reduced consumption limits compared to those set for December 7, and therefore, outages would either last longer or would cover several time slots simultaneously. Many of them also warned that emergency outages were possible, as well.

The Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Zhitomir, and Ternopol regional grid operators, as well as all DTEK operators in the city of Kiev and in the Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kiev regions, announced emergency restrictions.