Power outages today: schedules for March 17
17 March 07:21
Today, on March 17, Ukrainian regions will apply blackout schedules. Preliminarily, they will apply only to industry and business. This is reported by NPC Ukrenergo, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs
The schedule of outages
“Due to the difficult situation in the power system on March 17, power restrictions will be applied to industry and business,” the statement said.
The power will be cut off during the day – from 06:00 to 20:00.
At the same time, household consumers will not be affected by the restrictions, but the situation may change, so Ukrainians are urged to follow the updates from electricity distribution operators (oblenergos).
Reasons for the blackouts
The main reason for the restrictions is Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. The attacks damaged power system facilities, which makes it difficult to ensure a stable supply of electricity.
Will the blackouts affect households?
At the moment, no power outages are expected for household consumers.
Power engineers are doing everything possible to maintain a stable electricity supply for the population.
Restoration works are ongoing
Energy sector specialists are actively working to repair the damaged equipment. At the same time, the schedule and scope of restrictions may vary depending on the state of the power system.
“Ukrenergo urges to follow the updates on the official resources of the regional power distribution companies to receive timely information.
Ukrainians are also asked to consume electricity sparingly. In particular, do not turn on several powerful electrical appliances at the same time.
To avoid the problem of electricity shortages, simple recommendations should be followed:
- Do not turn on several powerful electrical appliances at the same time in the morning (07:00-10:00) and evening (17:00-22:00) peak hours. This will reduce the load on the system and help avoid outages.
- Turn off unnecessary lighting at home and at work. This will reduce energy consumption and save money.
- Disconnect appliances that you are not using from the mains. Even in standby mode, appliances continue to consume electricity.
- Boil only the amount of water you need in an electric kettle. It is faster, more economical, and healthier.
- Use powerful appliances during the lowest load hours (from 23:00 to 07:00).
- Do not leave devices on charge longer than necessary. This will extend battery life and reduce energy consumption.
- Install energy-saving LED lamps. They consume significantly less electricity than conventional incandescent bulbs.
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The situation in the Ukrainian energy sector
Throughout 2024, Russia carried out regular massive attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector. For example, on March 22, 2024, Russia carried out one of the most massive attacks in the entire period of the full-scale war. In particular,Dniproges and other Ukrainian energy facilities were hit. Since then, Russia has been regularly shelling Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The Russians destroyed the Trypillia and Zmiiv thermal power plants, causing Centrenergo to lose 100% of its generation. Also, 5 of DTEK’s 6 thermal power plants were severely damaged.
After that, power outages began again in Ukraine, and the government raised the electricity tariff by 60% at once.
In this situation, the Cabinet of Ministers decided to build two new units at the Khmelnytsky N PP and has already received the approval of the relevant parliamentary committee. The Razumkov Center has criticized these plans, but some experts believe that only traitors or scoundrels are against the construction of nuclear power plants today.
Russia launched another massive attack on the Ukrainian energy sector on August 26. This time, they hit distribution and power generation systems, and the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant was also attacked.
Russia carried out the most massive shelling of Ukraine on November 17, 2024, firing 127 cruise, ballistic, and supersonic missiles and 109 attack drones. DTEK reported serious damage to its thermal power plants.
After that, some experts predicted that blackouts could last until spring. And the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine voiced the worst-case scenario, which envisages blackouts of up to 20 hours a day.
However, as of early February, these predictions turned out to be wrong. Ukraine quickly coped with the consequences of the November shelling and went through most of the winter without massive power outages.
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