Ukraine's power system back to stable functioning - Ukrenergo head

MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax) - Ukraine's power supply infrastructure has returned to stable mode quite quickly after damage was caused to it on December 5, Vladimir Kudritsky, head of the national power grid operator Ukrenergo, said on Friday.

There was no such damage as before this time around, Ukrainian media quoted Kudritsky as saying at a press conference in Kiev.

Repair work is continuing in some parts of the country where power infrastructure was damaged, Kudritsky said.

"This concerns transmission substations, as well as power plants, both private and communal ones. The restoration is continuing permanently," he said.

Ukraine is continuing to receive about half of electricity from nuclear power plants, and the energy mix structure has changed proportionally, he said.

"The energy mix and its structure has not changed too much, because, on the one hand, a lot of thermal and hydropower plants have been damaged, but, roughly speaking, our generating capability has declined more or less proportionally," he said.

Ukraine is still receiving half or slightly more than half of electricity from nuclear power plants, followed in this respect by thermal power plants, while hydropower plants and renewable energy sources account for a lesser share, Kudritsky said.

At the same time, after Ukraine lost control of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and it stopped generating electricity, "40% of nuclear power generation can easily be deducted," he said.

Power consumption during the crisis has declined not as much as power generation, he said.