Rolling blackout schedules may be introduced as early as next week
Rolling power blackouts may start as early as next week due to a significant drop in air temperature.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing Volodymyr Velychko, a member of the Supervisory Board of Centrenergo, a major electric and thermal energy-producing company in Ukraine's centre and east.
Details: "Forecasters predict a significant drop in temperature starting next week. For power engineers, this means that more significant steps will be needed to balance the power grid, such as [requiring] emergency assistance from operators in neighbouring countries. However, before engaging emergency assistance, it’s essential to fully utilise domestic resources. Should [Ukraine's electricity transmission system operator] Ukrenergo be unable to maintain grid balance, rolling blackouts will be implemented," Velychko explained.
He added that following the drop in the daily average temperature in October, the power grid has seen a palpable increase in consumption, with its peak shifting from 20:00 to 19:10.
Velychko also highlighted that the temperature drop will drive up electricity demand across Europe, resulting in higher prices, particularly as the share of renewable energy sources decreases.
In his opinion, this will affect the possibility of commercial electricity imports due to the price caps in place on the Ukrainian spot market.
Background: Winter power shortages and blackouts in Ukraine are inevitable, with the most optimistic scenario predicting up to 5 hours without electricity daily.
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