Oleksii Degtyarev: Why do we need scheduled works and how to find out about outages

Thermal power generation13 August 2021

DTEK Donetsk Grids consistently carries out major repairs and scheduled maintenance of power grids and power equipment. Why do we need scheduled works, why the company turns the power off, and how to find out about such works in advance? Oleksii Degtyarev, General Director at DTEK Donetsk Grids, brought up these topics during a live stream within the framework of the #AskAboutLight (#SpytaiProSvitlo) project, answering questions from people.

Electric grid is one of the most important components of the infrastructure. The length of the networks is more than 31,000 km in the Donetsk region. This is almost 2/3 of the length of the national road network, which is 52,000 km. Energy facilities need constant diagnostics and modernization. For this, the company systematically carries out planned work to prevent possible malfunctions and ensure uninterrupted power supply in the customers' home.

To avoid equipment failures, DTEK Donetsk Grids detects potentially problem areas and includes them in the replacement, repair, and maintenance plan.

“DTEK is transforming its business by introducing high-level standards of customer service. We are upgrading the networks and energy infrastructure of the region so that there is power and comfort in the home of each customer. In 2021, DTEK Donetsk Grids will repair 510 kilometers of power transmission lines, 464 transformer substations of 6-10 kV and 193 substations of 35-110 kV. Therefore, there will be fewer failures. Consequently, the power supply of our customers will become more reliable,” says Oleksii Degtyarev, General Director at DTEK Donetsk Grids.

For the time of outages, the power supply is turned off. This is called a scheduled outage. The company does this to ensure that our energy workers are safe doing the live line maintenance. Labor protection, life and health of employees is the priority of DTEK Donetsk Grids.

So that power supply interruptions do not come as a surprise, DTEK Donetsk Grids includes such works in the outage plan and always posts information on the company's website. You can find out about planned power outages and check your address in the list of facilities where an outage is planned in the section Scheduled Outages. If the customer’s address is not in the list, then there might have been a blackout.

You can also find out about planned outages and report a blackout using a Viber or Telegram chatbot, a direct message on the DTEK Donetsk Grids page on Facebook, as well as by calling the call center +38 (093/096/099) 450 0 473, (0629) 450 473.

The schedule indicates the maximum outage time needed for maintenance. But our teams try to get the work done as quickly as possible and minimize any inconveniences for customers.

See a short video as to why the company carries out planned outages on Facebook.