Kyiv facing longer power cuts after ‘sharp deterioration’ in electricity supply

Ukrainians have been warned they could face worsening blackouts due to a “sharp deterioration” in electricity supply after Russian attacks.

Authorities across the country have issued warnings of potentially longer power cuts, with Kyiv’s mayor saying the capital’s power grid is working in “emergency mode” with energy supplies down as much as 50 per cent from pre-war levels.

In the Kyiv region, as winter looms, the latest damage to utilities will mean outages of four or more hours a day, according to Ukrenergo, the state operator of Ukraine‘s high-voltage transmission lines.

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“More severe and longer shutdowns will be applied in the coming days,” regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba warned.

Mr Kuleba’s announcement was reiterated in an update from local energy supplier Yasno, which said that existing blackouts could last longer than the four hours previously anticipated by Ukrenergo.

The energy company also warned that the capital already faced an electricity deficit of about 30 per cent or more.

Yasno said the Ukrainian capital normally consumed 1,000-2,000MW of electricity but now the estimated available power is 600-800MW.

Speaking of the severity of overnight attacks, a spokesperson said: “We have a sharp deterioration of the energy supply situation.”

Ukraine’s electricity system was plunged into crisis after Russia shifted the focus of its strikes to power stations and the distribution grid.

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said power outages were affecting about 4 million people across the country.

He said last week that 30 per cent of Ukraine‘s power stations had been destroyed since Russia launched the first wave of targeted infrastructure strikes on 10 October

In Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said the power grid was operating in “emergency mode,” adding that he hoped Ukrenergo would find ways to address the shortage “in two to three weeks.”

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Mr Klitschko also said new air defence equipment has been deployed in Kyiv to help defend itself against Russian drone and missile attacks on energy facilities.

In the Kharkiv region, home to Ukraine‘s second-largest city of the same name, governor Oleg Syniehubov said daily one-hour power outages would begin Monday.

Officials across the war-torn country have urged people to conserve by reducing electricity consumption during peak hours and avoiding the use of high-voltage appliances.