KYIV: Ukraine’s energy grid operator stated on Tuesday (Jan 9) extreme winter climate left greater than 1,000 cities and villages with out electrical energy in 9 areas and urged residents to preserve energy because the power system has been weakened by Russian strikes.
Electrical energy consumption was at this week’s highest ranges as temperatures fell to about -15 levels Celsius in lots of elements of the nation, grid operator Ukrenergo stated.
“The consumption degree continues to develop as a result of appreciable drop in temperature throughout the nation,” it stated on the Telegram messaging app, including that electrical energy consumption within the morning was already 5.8 per cent larger than the day earlier than.
“As of this morning because of dangerous climate – robust winds, ice energy was lower off in 1,025 settlements.”
The climate brought on important injury to distribution networks with robust winds, frost, and a thick layer of ice on tools, which delayed restore works, Ukrenergo stated.
Vitaliy Kim, governor of southern Mykolaiv area the place 215 cities and villages have been lower off from electrical energy, stated ice on electrical energy cables was over 5 cm thick.
Ukrenergo stated the facility system was already working at most capability and urged residents to save lots of electrical energy as a lot as potential and keep away from utilizing a number of electrical home equipment concurrently to assist the system cope.
“At the moment, electrical energy is sufficient to provide all business and family shoppers. However a giant improve in consumption creates an extra load on energy vegetation, that are already working at most, and they should improve technology in a short time and significantly and that may result in technological disruptions,” Ukrenergo stated.
Ukraine needed to import electrical energy from neighbouring Romania and Slovakia to have the ability to meet the demand, it stated.
Ukrenergo stated that Ukranian thermal energy vegetation have been nonetheless recovering from final winter’s huge Russian strikes and solar energy vegetation couldn’t work at full capability because of dense clouds and dangerous climate.
Final winter Russia focused the Ukrainian energy system with 1000’s of missiles and drones, inflicting frequent blackouts for thousands and thousands of individuals.
Thermal energy stations accounted for a couple of third of all electrical energy produced in Ukraine earlier than the struggle.
Ukrenergo additionally reported extra injury to electrical energy networks in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson areas that are close to to the frontline and inside the attain of artillery shelling.
