Ukrenergo Cuts Power in Six Oblasts After Russian Strikes

Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned transmission system operator, implemented new power rationing measures across six oblasts on the morning of 26 October. The restrictions follow Russian attacks on civilian energy infrastructure that occurred over the preceding 24 hours. The affected administrative regions are Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy.

The operator stated that emergency repair crews have begun work at damaged sites where safety conditions permit. To prevent overloading equipment that sustained damage in earlier bombardments, Ukrenergo said limitation schedules will remain in force until the end of the day. These measures include specific power limitation schedules for industrial consumers and hourly outage schedules for all consumer categories, affecting up to 2.5 queues.

A queue is defined by the operator as a group of consumers and businesses that collectively draw a specific amount of megawatts. The Dispatch Centre calculates the number of queues required in each oblast to cover energy deficits. Under existing Cabinet resolutions, critical infrastructure and eligible industrial companies that import at least 60% of their energy are exempt from disconnection.

As a result of these restrictions, total consumption has decreased. As of 09:30 on 26 October, consumption was 5.8% lower than at the same time on the previous working day, Friday 23 October. In contrast, the daily consumption peak on 25 October occurred in the evening and was 4.8% higher than the peak recorded on Sunday 18 October. Ukrenergo attributed this previous increase to falling air temperatures, which prompted consumers to use electric heaters during evening hours.

The operator advised the public to use electricity sparingly while the restrictions are in effect. "Please consume electricity sparingly during the restriction period! Check the official pages of the regional distribution system operator (Oblenergo) for the outage schedule at your address," Ukrenergo stated. The grid operator also asked residents to limit the use of high-power appliances between 16:00 and 22:00 to manage evening demand.

Separately, Russian forces attacked an energy facility in the Kamianets-Podilskyi district of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, prompting emergency power cuts in that area. Power supply disruptions are also being reported in the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson city.