Ukrainian government declares a state of emergency due to energy situation
On the 15th of February, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine declared a state of emergency with respect to the country’s energy situation, by issuing an order “to adopt temporary extreme measures in the electric energy market”. According to the authorities, due to the trade blockade in the uncontrolled territories of the Donbas which war veterans have been imposing since the end of January, there is a shortage of the anthracite coal used by the thermal power plants in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman once again blamed the blocking of anthracite coal shipments from the territories which are not under Ukraine's control. He also called on the participants in the blockade to remove it, because it threatens the safety of Ukraine’s energy. “Anything else, please, blockade, control, fight contraband, and in this matter you can rely on me,” the Prime Minister noted.
During a government meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Hennadiy Zubko announced that in the major industrial regions (Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv and Chernihiv), anti-crisis headquarters had held a meeting in order to agree on the emergency energy measures which will be introduced. Zubko emphasized that these measures concern all regions which consume electrical energy.
“Tomorrow the relevant recommendations will be given on how to revise the operations, supporting a reduction in consumption at peak times,” Zubko explained.
Prime Minister Groysman emphasized that the government will minimize any negative consequences a power shortage could have on the population.
“I want to emphasize that power outages will take place only in extreme circumstances, and we will give advance notice about this,” the Prime Minister reassured.
Nevertheless, Groysman made a request to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) to consider the influence of the railway crossing blockade on the line delineating the uncontrolled territories of the Donbas.
The Prime Minister noted that because the blockade is in a zone where the military operations take place, this matter needs to be considered by the NSDC.
Ihor Nasalyk, Minister of the Energy and Coal Mining Industry of Ukraine, explained that the order regarding the temporary implementation of emergency measures on the electrical market will stay in effect for a maximum of two months.
“The decision will stay in effect for one month. It can be be prolonged for one more month. This means that the current decision will be in effect for no more than two months,” the minister assured.
He also noted that the government has already made it a priority to disconnect the power of the companies which “do not have particular importance”.
“Facilities relating to medicine, preschools, and schools will generally not be affected by this. They will operate as normal,” Nasalyk noted.
At the blockade headquarters there has already been a reaction to the announcement of a state of emergency regarding energy. One of the organizers of the freight blockade, Donbas war veteran Anatoly Vinogrodsky, said that if there are rolling power outages, then the veterans and blockade activists are establishing “effective Ukrainian control over this country’s energy”. He also added that it is not necessary to capture power stations in order to establish this control. The blockade participant called the possible rolling blackouts a “circus”.
“Today they [the authorities] have no reasons to do this [to switch of the lights at times]. The rolling blackouts are political pressure on the people who are doing the blockade, because they [the authorities] have the option to increase electric power generation with the nuclear power stations and do away with the thermal power plants”, Vinogrodsky explained.
He also noted that by making the threat of rolling blackouts, the authorities want to turn the population against the blockade.