Ukrenergo plans to repair all essential power grid infrastructure elements

MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo is focused on restoring the functioning of all the essential facilities to ensure reliable power supply without setting any consumption limits, Alexei Brekht, a member of Ukrenergo's board and director for operations and development, said.

"Our duty is to make sure that virtually all of the destroyed facilities start functioning before the beginning of the next heating season," Ukrainian media quoted Brekht as saying at an Ukrenergo substation.

"We have the necessary plans, understanding, and vision of the development of the situation. If no more damage is caused to our facilities, we will approach next winter with the substations operating normally, without having to impose consumption limits," he said.

Ukrenergo has carried out a detailed analysis of the necessary volume of repairs, which does not envision the restoration of absolutely all equipment, Brekht said.

"This doesn't mean that we will repair everything that existed. In the current conditions, reliable power supply can be ensured with a smaller amount of equipment. We have planned our work today precisely based on this logic and after thoroughly analyzing and determining the volume of repairs," he said.

In particular, Ukrenergo plans to normalize the full-scale functioning of a 750 kV substation supplying electricity to over 6 million customers in one of the country's densely populated agglomerations by August or September, Brekht said.

"Everything has been basically restored and is functioning just as it's supposed to so as to prevent any unexpected incidents and deviations from normal mode," he said.

Brekht admitted that the current arrangement is not quite conventional and not quite reliable but insisted that it helps properly finalize the current heating season and prepare for the next one.

Ukrenergo is provided with everything necessary and has been receiving a large amount of humanitarian aid to bring said facility's operations back to normal as soon as possible, he said.