Ukraine expects to get through Thursday without power supply restrictions

MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Grid operator Ukrenergo has not yet begun to limit power consumption by region on Thursday.

"Ukrenergo has not imposed power supply restrictions on Thursday. This will make it possible to avoid power outages in Kiev and the Kiev region, while there are plans to measure consumption in the Dnepropetrovsk region," Ukrainian media quoted power company DTEK as saying on social media.

But the company said scheduled outages are possible in some hubs as a result of damage to Ukrenergo networks, as is the case in the Odessa region where stabilization outages continue due to network restrictions.

It was reported on Wednesday with reference to the Energy Ministry and Ukrenergo that Ukraine had zero power shortages for the fourth day in a row, due primarily to growth in generation after nuclear and thermal power plant went back into operation, to increased hydro and renewable energy generation and to the restoration of networks and electricity imports.

But planned repairs of a number of power generating units at Ukraine's nuclear and thermal power plants might trigger power shortages again, DTEK Executive Director Dmitry Sakharuk said.

Ukrainian media also quoted Energy Minister German Galuschenko as saying he assumed there was a certain amount of spare capacity in the power system, which generated enough electricity to meet supply needs for the fifth straight day on Thursday.

More than half of the country's electricity is being generated by the Rovno, South Ukrainian and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants, Ukrainian media outlets quoted the minister as saying on social media.