In Ukraine, power outages according to a schedule may begin as early as next week.

In Ukraine, power outages may begin according to schedules as early as next week

Hourly power outage schedules could start as early as next week due to a significant drop in temperature, according to Vladimir Velichko, a member of the supervisory board of "Centrenergo".

"Starting next week, meteorologists predict a noticeable decrease in temperature. For energy workers, this means that more substantial measures will need to be taken to balance the energy system, such as emergency assistance from neighboring countries' operators. However, before resorting to emergency assistance, it is necessary to maximize the use of domestic resources. If NEC "Ukrenergo" fails to maintain the balance of the energy system, scheduled outages will be implemented," Velichko explained.

He added that after the daily average temperature dropped in October, the energy system has already observed a significant increase in consumption, with its peak shifting from 20:00 to 19:10.

At the same time, Velichko emphasized that due to the temperature drop, consumption will increase in European countries as well, leading to higher electricity prices, partly due to a reduction in the share of renewable energy sources.

In his opinion, this will impact the possibilities for commercial electricity imports due to existing price caps in Ukraine's spot market.

"Currently, the energy regulator NKREKU has initiated a procedure to review the price caps upward, which is supported by the majority of energy market participants, while some even propose abolishing them altogether. For consumers, this is a painful topic, but it is essential to understand that without raising the price caps, commercial electricity imports will be unavailable, especially during periods of sharp cold.

Regarding the company's preparation for winter, he stated that repair and restoration work is ongoing, with plans to connect nearly 1 GW of generating capacity to the energy system.

"Centrenergo" continues repair work at its own thermal power plants, which will allow it to provide approximately 1 GW of power to the energy system. However, it is crucial to ensure that all generating capacities of the state are available and to maximize the use of cross-border connections to attract additional resources," Velichko concluded.

As reported, NKREKU approved an increase in the maximum price in the "day-ahead" market (RDN) and the intraday market (IDM) by 23% to UAH 6,900/MW*h (up from UAH 5,600/MW*h) during the period from 11:00 to 17:00, effective October 1.

From December 1, 2024, the import capacity for cross-border connections is set at 2.1 GW.

As a result of a massive rocket attack on the night of April 11, 2024, Russian troops completely destroyed the Tripoli TPP (Kyiv region), while the Zmiev TPP (Kharkiv region) was entirely destroyed on March 22 of the same year, and on July 25, 2022, Russian forces occupied the Uglegorsk TPP (Donetsk region). Thus, "Centrenergo" lost 100% of its generation capacity.

Acting Chairman of the Board of NEC "Ukrenergo" Alexey Brecht noted that Ukraine could get through the winter without electricity restrictions or with minimal restrictions during daily consumption peaks at temperatures above zero degrees Celsius and with slight restrictions at temperatures of minus 10-15 degrees Celsius throughout the day.

interfax