Ukrenergo raises nighttime power consumption limit in Ukraine by 1.3%-1.5%, keeps daytime limit unchanged
MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax) - The Ukrenergo power grid operator slightly adjusted the power consumption limits for Ukraine's regions on Wednesday, January 18, as compared to what they were on Tuesday, raising the nighttime limits by 1.3%-1.5% but keeping daytime limits unchanged, Ukrainian media said, citing the Poltavaoblenergo and Prikarpatyeoblenergo distribution system operators.
According to Poltavaoblenergo, the nighttime limit set for the company from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday is 400 MW (395MW on Tuesday), 440 MW from 7:00 a.m. to midnight, the same as it was on Tuesday, whereas a year ago maximum power consumption was 812 MW.
The regional operator still plans to disconnect two lines - the main line and the additional one - simultaneously.
According to Prikarpatyeoblenergo, its nighttime limit from midnight to 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday is 204.1 MW (201.1 MW on Tuesday), while the consumption limit for the rest of the day stands at 269 MW, the same as on Tuesday.
Ukrenergo has reduced power supplies to the Odessa region to half of the region's usual consumption level, and nearly half of this electricity is being supplied to critical infrastructure which must never be left without electricity, DTEK said.
"It is impossible to adhere to the schedules in such conditions, because there is a shortage of available capacity. That is why, emergency blackouts are continuing in the region," DTEK said on Tuesday evening.
DTEK circulated similar information with regard to the Dnepropetrovsk region a few hours earlier.
Ukrenergo said earlier that the capacity deficit in the energy system as result of the damage caused on January 14 remains high.
Ukrainian media also cited the opinion of Sergei Kovalenko, general director of the Yasno company, which supplies power to Kiev, who offered an explanation for the continuing power shortages in the city even despite power-saving measures and warmer air temperatures.
"Why it is so? Most likely, the reason is delayed consumption, when we start to 'catch up' after supplies are resumed. We start charging all devices that have run out of power, do something that we could not do when there was no electricity. And it is normal," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Kovalenko as saying in a social media post on Tuesday.
"As soon as the limits introduced by Ukrenergo will become larger, and we can return to the schedules, delayed consumption will start to decrease," he said.
The consumption limits of 952 MW were introduced in Kiev on Tuesday, he said.
"These limits are not enough in order to shift from emergency blackouts to scheduled, stabilizing ones. Schedules are not working [...]," Kovalenko said.
Like on Tuesday, there will be emergency blackouts on Wednesday as well.