In Kyiv, more than 200 emergency teams are working round the clock to deal with the aftermath of shelling and network overloads.

Large-scale restoration work on the power grid is continuing in the Kyiv region: more than 200 repair teams are currently working round the clock in the region. This was reported by DTEK, which highlighted the critical strain on the grid caused by a combination of enemy shelling and a sharp rise in domestic electricity consumption.

In the last week alone, Russian troops have damaged ten of DTEK’s power facilities in the Kyiv region. In addition to distribution networks, high-voltage transmission lines belonging to NPC Ukrenergo, which supply electricity directly to the region, were also targeted. As a result of these attacks, it took power engineers four days of intensive work to restore electricity supplies to over 203,000 households.

Hundreds of accidents every day due to peak loads

As well as dealing with the immediate aftermath of Russian strikes, specialists are forced to respond to hundreds of localised incidents every day. The main cause of new power cuts is a sudden surge in demand on the damaged and weakened infrastructure immediately after power is restored.

When the voltage drops in homes, consumers switch on power-hungry appliances en masse and simultaneously — electric water heaters, space heaters, washing machines and electric hobs. Networks operating on backup power supply circuits cannot cope with these power surges, leading to a cascade of operational disruptions.

How residents of the region can help avoid further power cuts

Energy sector representatives point out that restoration work in the region continues non-stop, but the stability of the electricity supply also depends to a large extent on the responsible behaviour of the region’s residents themselves.

To prevent further accidents and protect equipment from burning out, experts are urging people to follow some simple rules on energy consumption:

• Unplug appliances from sockets during a power cut. This will protect your household appliances from power surges and remove the inrush load from the mains when power is restored.
• Switch on appliances one at a time. Once the power has come back on, you should wait 15–20 minutes and switch on high-power appliances gradually, rather than all at once.
• Use electricity sparingly during peak hours, particularly in the morning and evening, when the load on the electricity grid is at its highest.

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