Power consumption declining in Ukraine, no shortage in power grid - Ukrenergo

MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Electricity consumption is gradually decreasing in Ukraine, and no shortages in the power grid are anticipated, Ukrainian media said, citing information circulated by the Ukrenergo power grid operator on social media.

Electricity consumption as of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday was 0.9% lower than at the same time on Tuesday, Ukrenergo said. On February 27, electricity consumption was the highest at around 7:00 p.m., which nonetheless is 0.8% lower than on Monday, February 26.

Even though Polish power grid operator PSE bought 1,661 MWh of Ukraine's surplus electricity from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the operations of power plants using renewable energy sources were limited from 12:05 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in an amount of 253 MW, Ukrenergo said.

A facility at a thermal power plant was shut down briefly for emergency repairs and has already been reconnected to the grid. Ukraine has 18 backup power units and two thermal generation facilities that can be connected to the grid should such a need arise, the Energy Ministry said.

Electricity is being exported to Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Moldova with a total volume of 3,806 MWh on Wednesday, which is 42% more than on Tuesday.

Electricity is being imported mostly in evening hours from the same five countries with a total volume of 1,667 MWh, a 44.5% increase from Tuesday's amounts.

A total of 372 populated localities in Ukraine remained without electricity on Wednesday morning (371 on Tuesday), Ukrainian media said, citing information provided by Ukrenergo and the Energy Ministry on social media.

Repair teams also had to restore power supply to 16,000 consumers in Kiev that faced a power outage after a 35kV electrical substation stopped operating for technical reasons. Power supply was resumed within an hour.

A total of 370 consumers in the Dnepropetrovsk region have also been left without electricity for technical reasons.

A gas leak from an underground medium-pressure gas pipeline disrupted gas supply to 134 private houses in Mukachevo in the Zakarpattia region, the Energy Ministry said. Emergency repairs are ongoing.

Gas supply was also suspended to 40 houses in the Sambir district of the Lvov region after a distribution gas pipeline was damaged.