Ukrenergo reports lower electricity consumption in Ukraine, Energy Ministry urges to use electricity sparingly

MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - A 330 kV high-voltage line in Ukraine's eastern region was put back into operation on Tuesday, while 382 communities remain without electricity for various reasons as of Wednesday morning, Ukrainian media reported, citing Ukrenergo.

The power grids in a number of regions, in particular, in the Nikolayev and Kharkov regions, have been damaged again. There was also a power outage in the Dnepropetrovsk and Chernigov regions due to technological reasons, the company said.

Currently, the capacity of Ukrenergo's high-voltage power transmission lines is sufficient to cover the available demand.

"However, we remind you - winter goes on and the overall level of consumption remains high. Please consume electricity economically," the Ukrainian system operator said.

At the same time, Ukrenergo does not foresee the emergence of an electricity shortage in the power system.

On January 31, electricity is being imported in the morning and evening hours from Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova with a total volume of 2,980 MWh, with a peak capacity in some hours up to 783 MW. There are no exports.

Starting from December 1, 2023, the technical capacity to import electricity from Europe to Ukraine and Moldova is 1,700 MW.

Meanwhile, as of December 31, eight thermal power generation units are on standby and will be connected to the power grid if required, the media reported, citing the Ukrainian Energy Ministry.

"The system is balanced. Stabilization schedules of shutdowns are not applied," the ministry said.

At the same time, the ministry stressed the importance of lowering the load on the power system during peak consumption hours from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 17:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m.

"The Energy Ministry urges to postpone the use of energy-intensive devices to another time," it said.