On Friday, March 13, Ukraine will implement hourly scheduled power outages across all regions, with these measures lasting for only five hours.
For residential consumers, the outages will occur from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Industrial users will face power restrictions from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
The national energy company, “Ukrenergo,” has attributed these ongoing limitations to a series of coordinated strikes by Russian forces targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“The situation within the energy system may change. To find out the specific timing and extent of outages at your location, please refer to the official pages of your regional energy provider,” the statement advised.
Ukrainians have also been urged to conserve electricity during this challenging period.
In related developments, Ukraine has resumed exporting electricity, a move that has sparked criticism. Some observers question how the country can sell electricity when it faces domestic shortages.
The energy system operates in a manner where solar panels during the day or nuclear plants at night can generate surplus electricity beyond domestic consumption. This surplus is more beneficial to sell than to waste, thus generating revenue.
However, during peak evening hours, Ukraine may need to purchase electricity from neighboring countries. The shortages in certain regions are not solely due to a lack of generation capacity; rather, they stem from damage to transmission networks caused by Russian attacks, complicating the delivery of electricity.
Ukraine is facing scheduled power outages due to ongoing attacks on its energy infrastructure. Despite domestic shortages, the country has resumed electricity exports, raising concerns about its energy management amid the crisis.