Kudrytskyi: Power cuts are result of decision by the energy regulator NEURC, which is still run by Halushchenko’s subordinates
Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the former chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, has explained why power cuts have returned to Ukraine.
He posted the relevant message, quoted by Censor.NET, on Facebook.
Power cuts are returning
According to Kudrytskyi, the power cuts are not linked to new attacks or increased consumption due to cold weather.
"Tomorrow’s power cuts are the result of a decision by the energy regulator NEURC, which is still run by Halushchenko’s subordinates."
He added that, following a decision by these officials in early April, price caps on electricity for non-domestic consumers (all except the general public) have been set at a level that:
- does not allow the use of imports from the EU for most of the day;
- does not allow distributed gas-fired generation to operate for most of the day.
There may be prolonged power cuts
Kudrytskyi compared the situation to administrative price caps on fuel, which would lead to its disappearance from the market. He recalled that a similar situation had already been observed in winter, when restrictions on electricity imports caused prolonged power cuts.
The former head of "Ukrenergo" warned that such decisions could result in prolonged power cuts for industry and the reintroduction of restrictions for the public, even during the spring.
Furthermore, he said, this would have a negative impact on investment in the energy sector. In particular, the implementation of projects to build 1.5 GW of new distributed generation is under threat, as investors are postponing investments due to unstable market rules.
"Because investors see that the market is being run by the incompetent figures involved in the Mindichgate scandal and are holding back investments until better times. Mindich has fled, Halushchenko is in prison, and their colleagues are continuing their difficult work," concluded Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
As a reminder, on 3 April, power restriction schedules for industrial consumers will be in place across all regions of Ukraine from 06:00 to 22:00, and hourly power cut schedules will apply to all categories of consumers from 07:00 to 11:00.
