REUTERS
The decision to impose emergency measures was taken in connection with the blocking of anthracite coal supplies from the temporarily uncontrolled areas of Donbas.
The month-long emergency measures were introduced at a Government’s extraordinary meeting February 15, according to Cabinet Decree No.103 published on the government website.
According to the decree, the decision to introduce emergency measures has been taken in connection with the blockade of anthracite type steam coal supplies and in order to ensure reliable, unhindered, and stable operation of Ukraine’s united energy grid, preventing any imbalance between production and consumption of electricity.
Read alsoPoroshenko: Share of nuclear power grows to 60% amid blockade of trade with DonbasIt is also emphasized that the state-owned Ukrenergo, based on the fuel stocks for the production of electrical energy available, should determine the permissible level of reduction of reserve power generating capacities, and establish requirements for the composition of the equipment of thermal power generating companies. It shall also introduce, if necessary and upon consultations with the energy ministry, hourly schedules of rolling blackouts and figures of emergency power outages.
State-owned Energorynok is required to develop the schedule of loads of Ukraine energy grid, given into account the demands by Ukrenergo. Nuclear state holding Energoatom shall comply with the scheduled capacity of Ukrainian power grid.
Read alsoPoroshenko on consequences of Donbas blockade: hryvnia devaluation, $2 bln lossesAs UNIAN reported earlier, in late January a group of ATO veterans along with a few members of parliament initiated a blockade of rail tracks used to transport deficient anthracite coal from the temporarily uncontrolled areas to Ukraine's thermal power stations.
According to the government report, the supplies were suspended February 10, 2017. The operator of Ukraine's united power grid, Ukrenergo, said that anthracite coal reserves (842,000 tonnes as of Feb 12) would be exhausted within 40 days.
Read alsoEU warns of consequences of "DPR-LPR" blockadeCiting a threat to continued energy supplies to the industries, the Cabinet at its extraordinary meeting February 15 decided to introduce a state of emergency on the electricity market, providing for cuts in consuming anthracite coal to ensure stable operations of the country's energy grid.
The European Union and the United States have condemned the blockade.