DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids encourages customers to use electrical appliances reasonably

Thermal power generation24 December 2021

A significant increase in network load scales up the risk of failures that could entail a power cut for customers in the Kyiv region. DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids urges customers to be reasonable about energy consumption and not turn on many energy-intensive devices at the same time.

Recently, the company has seen a sharp increase in electricity consumption. In December 2020, consumption was 832.8 million kWh. In December 2021, it is 878 million kWh, which is 45 million kWh more. In general, the situation with the network failure rate, which may be caused by an increase in the load on them, gets better in the region. In 2021, the number of failures is 9% lower compared to 2020.

At the same time, we observe that the network failure rate is still high, and sometimes it even grows in densely populated areas and cities of the region. In the Buchansky district, particularly.

The reason for this is the significant increase in electricity consumption because the gas prices increase. Customers living in the Kyiv region are using electricity to heat their homes more and more. This entails an increase in the load on the network. The power grids are designed for the 0.3 simultaneity coefficient of power switching. When energy-intensive appliances such as electric fireplaces are turned on at the same time, it rises significantly to 1, which can lead to equipment failures and network blackouts.

The current power grid capabilities and its limitations are the aftermath of the policy driven by the state regulator NEURC and the tariff setting system valid until 2020. For 20 years, the investment program of the company, which is the source of the network modernization, was several times less than required to upgrade the networks in line with the development of the region. Because of this, the wear of the networks was 70%.

In 2021, the company moved to a new tariff setting model, known as the RAB tariff. We are now in a position to invest 112% more in the regional network infrastructure. The company has a systematic plan to modernize the networks until 2030. At the same time, today we urge customers to consciously use electrical appliances, recognizing that heavy use of energy-intensive appliances increases the risk of power grid failures. The company is doing their best to modernize the networks and respond to faults promptly.