19 Apr 2023 13:55

Situation in Odessa region's energy system nominal, river flooding subsiding in Ukraine

MOSCOW. April 19 (Interfax) - The energy system of the Odessa region is operating nominally, and electricity consumption limits are not required, Ukrainian media said, citing the Ukrenergo power grid operator.

On the whole, the amount of electricity being generated by the region's energy system is covering all of consumption needs in the presence of a considerable capacity margin, Ukrenergo said on social media on Wednesday.

The situation allows Ukraine to export electricity to Slovakia, Poland and Moldova and to import small amounts of it from Slovakia.

In the Kharkov region and in the Ukraine-controlled part of the Zaporozhye region, Ukrenergo teams repaired two earlier damaged key power lines and put them back into operation over the past week.

As regards seasonal floods, the company said that Ukrhydroenergo's hydropower plants have been operating continuously, carrying out managed water discharges at the Dniestr and Dnieper Rivers to minimize the consequences of the floods.

Ukrhydroenergo, in turn, said on social media that the flood situation has stabilized as of April 19, water levels have decreased, though spring waters this year rose 0.5-1 meter as compared to previous years.

"Hydropower plants and pumped storage facilities are conducting managed water discharges at the Dniestr and Dnieper Rivers in compliance with safety norms to stabilize water levels," the company said.

There will be no major floods in the capital Kiev, the company said, citing data from the weather forecast department of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center of the State Emergency Service.

Due to heavy precipitation and a considerable inflow of underground waters, water levels grew rapidly in the Dnieper, Desna, Seim, Pripyat, Goryn and Zapadny Bug Rivers in the territory of the Volyn, Kiev, Rovno, Cherkassy, and Chernigov regions, it said.

According to data from the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Service, Dnieper water levels within Kiev's boundaries stood at 9,343 cm under the Baltic system as of 8:00 a.m. on April 19, which is 7 cm lower than the day before. An "orange" hydrological hazard alert is in place, which means that seasonal flooding has been abating for several days in a row for now.

However, the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Service expects the floods to peak on April 22. The Dnieper River's water levels are currently 72 cm below the critical mark of 9,415 cm, but the local civilian-military administration has said, citing all available forecasts, that they are unlikely to reach this level.