Frosts on January 10-11: Why power outages will become more frequent.

According to ТСН: Forecasted strong frosts in Ukraine on January 10-11 may complicate the operation of the energy system, especially against the backdrop of a power deficit and existing electricity outage schedules.

Effect of temperature on the energy system

The head of the Energy Development League of Ukraine, Oleksandr Holizdra, noted in a comment that although frosts themselves do not directly affect the state of the energy system, a drop in temperature usually leads to an increase in electricity consumption. As of January 7, electricity consumption was already 3.3% higher than the previous day.

"Frosts alone do not significantly affect the state of the energy system — all its elements — power transmission lines and substations are designed for low temperatures. However, with a decrease in temperature, electricity consumption traditionally increases."

The lower the temperature, the harsher the electricity outage schedules may become. Ukrenergo warned back in December about the possibility of tightening the schedules if the temperature drops below -10 degrees, which could lead to the addition of another shift to the existing constraints.

Conservative electricity consumption

To reduce the likelihood of such restrictions, it is important to adhere to conservative electricity consumption, particularly avoiding the use of powerful electrical appliances during peak hours. In addition, a critical factor for the stability of the energy system remains the potential for new Russian shelling of generation, transmission, and distribution facilities, which may have a significantly greater impact than low temperatures.

"As for municipal heat networks, they belong to critical infrastructure and are not shut down. Most of them have backup power sources sufficient for the operation of boiler plants that produce heating medium."

Holizdra also noted that frosts should not affect the operation of heat networks. However, the occurrence of accidents in low-temperature conditions largely depends on the preparedness of specific municipal utilities for winter.

"Therefore, frosts should not affect their operation."

The situation with electricity supply in Ukraine remains tense, especially during the winter period. Consumers should pay attention to their habits and try to save electricity to help the system cope with the load. It is also important to note that energy companies are constantly working to improve the reliability of supply, so the attentiveness and responsibility of each of us can significantly help in this situation.