Scheduled power cuts will return to parts of Ukraine from 3 p.m. until the end of Tuesday, Oct. 6, following damage caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, national grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Hourly outage schedules covering up to one consumer group at a time will apply to households and other consumers. Separate limits on electricity use will be introduced for industrial facilities.
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“Because of damage caused by Russian shelling and in order to prevent equipment overload, power restrictions will be applied in some regions from 3 p.m. until the end of the day,” Ukrenergo said.
The company did not specify which regions would face scheduled outages. Residents were advised to check the websites and official social media pages of their regional electricity distribution companies for schedules covering individual addresses.
Ukrenergo urged consumers to conserve electricity during the restrictions and avoid switching on several powerful appliances simultaneously when power returns.
Four regions report new outages
Russian attacks caused new power disruptions in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions by Tuesday morning, according to Ukrenergo.
Emergency repair work was underway wherever security conditions allowed.
“Energy workers are doing everything possible to restore power to all disconnected consumers as soon as possible,” the company said.
Ukrenergo did not state that the four regions reporting new outages were the only areas where hourly schedules would apply.
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Electricity consumption at 9:30 a.m. was 2.9% higher than at the same time on Monday. Ukrenergo attributed the increase partly to cloudy weather across much of Ukraine, which reduced output from household solar installations and increased demand from the main grid.
Consumers were advised to use powerful appliances before 3 p.m., when industrial solar generation was expected to be most effective.
Russia renews winter energy campaign
The restrictions follow a renewed Russian campaign against Ukraine’s power system ahead of the heating season.
On Sept. 30, Russia launched its first mass combined attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the end of the previous heating season. Missiles and drones targeted facilities in Kyiv, the surrounding region and elsewhere, while strikes across 11 regions killed five people, including a child.
Generating equipment at the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant in the Kyiv region was among the infrastructure damaged.
Oleh Popenko, head of Ukraine’s Union of Utility Consumers, warned that Kyiv could face outages lasting 14-16 hours if Russia continues attacking facilities supplying the capital.
His remarks described a possible future scenario, not an outage schedule approved by Ukrenergo. Tuesday’s official restrictions cover up to one consumer group and are currently scheduled to last only until the end of the day.
Ukrenergo warned that the situation could change depending on further Russian attacks and the condition of damaged equipment.