Ukraine's national power company reports new attacks on energy infrastructure

Russia has once again attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure. As of the morning of 7 October, this has resulted in power outages for consumers in Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts.

Source: press service for Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned electricity transmission operator

Details: The press service reports that the situation in Sumy Oblast is still challenging.

In Chernihiv Oblast, the local regional energy company has been forced to introduce hourly power outages with two queues. In total, there are six queues. The greater the power deficit in the system, the more queues of consumers are turned off at the same time during stabilisation restrictions. [Ukrenergo defines a "queue" as a group of consumers and businesses using a specific amount of megawatts. The Dispatch Centre sets the number of queues needed across oblasts to address energy deficits. Critical infrastructure and industrial companies that import over 80% of their energy cannot be disconnected, according to a Ukrainian Cabinet resolution – ed.]

Emergency repair work is still ongoing, but it is being complicated by frequent air-raid warnings.

What is the meaning of the number of queues that limit simultaneously?

• If only the first stage of power outages is implemented, consumers may be without electricity for up to four hours a day.
• If two stages of power outages are enforced simultaneously, consumers could be without electricity for up to eight hours a day.
• If three stages of power outages are implemented, consumers may face up to 12 hours without electricity per day.
• If four stages of power outages are enforced, consumers could be without electricity for over 12 hours a day, including in the light-gray zones of the schedules.(The light-gray zones on the power outage schedules indicate that electricity supply is possible but not guaranteed – power may be switched on or off depending on available generation capacity and the load on the energy system.)
• If five or six stages of outages are enforced simultaneously, it means emergency power cuts have begun and the scheduled outage plans are no longer in effect.

Background: The Russians destroyed two transformer substations that supplied power to Kharkiv, making the coming winter the toughest since the war began.

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