DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids will clear 400 km of power lines routes in July

Thermal power generation14 July 2022

During the storm fallen trees and contact of branches with the grids become the main cause of power outage. In order to prevent possible emergencies, DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids specialists have resumed cutting shrubs and tree branches along the overhead power lines that they had to suspend since the beginning of hostilities in the region. In July, the company plans to clear more than 400 km of power lines protected zones from tree branches, which are located in dangerous proximity to the grids.

DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids will clear 400 km of power lines routes in July

«DTEK is a reliable and responsible company. Every year company’s specialists conduct large-scale work related to pruning of branches. In 2022, such activities were postponed due to hostilities in the Kyiv region. We have resumed pruning of trees after liberation of the Kyiv region, restoration of damaged grids and mine clearance of the territory by the SES specialists, — notes DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids. – The company plans to clear 404 km in July. Simultaneously with these activities, electricians will be eliminating discovered defects on the equipment in order to prevent power outages for customers.”

The company notes that as per the legislation DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids specialists are pruning branches in the protected zone near the power lines of 10 kV and more, as well as near the 0.4 kV power lines, located nearby homes and personal plots of people that are physically unable to ensure such clearing – people with disabilities. In all other cases residents and land users should do it by themselves.

Every season energy workers clear about 3,500 km of overhead power lines’ routes that go to the settlements through forests and fields. Specialists tentatively determine the most problematic sections and compile a schedule for clearance of routes. Usually, clearance of routes on one or two streets takes one day, but sometimes the scope of work is too big and scheduled power cutoff is carried out several times.

In order to ensure safety of employees, who prune trees along the lines, the company will temporarily de-energize the grid as per the schedule. Due to the martial law in the country and as per the regulator’s decree, the company has temporarily restricted access to the information related to power cutoffs and terms of power restoration at the company’s website. Company’s specialist inform local communities and civil-military administration about schedules of cutoffs.

Information about the cause of power cutoff is available via convenient remote services:

Viber and Telegram chatbot (or enter “DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids” in the search bar);
“Merezhi online” mobile application (download the application from AppStore or Google Play Market);
Facebook page;
call center (067/099/093) 495 70 40, (044) 459 07 40;

As stated earlier, since June 2022 DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids has resumed pruning of shrubs and tree branches along the overhead power lines. Since beginning of 2022, the company has cleared and troubleshot a total of over 1,000 km of overhead power lines routes in the Kyiv region.

For reference: according to the “Grids protection rules” it is prohibited to plant trees under the power lines. In order to avoid emergencies, the company asks residents of the detached houses not to plant tall trees and to timely perform pruning near the lines. Land owners and users should clear green spaces if the distance from tree branches to the 0.4 kV line becomes less than 1 meter or if branches hang over the wires; if severe weather can make emergency trees fall and damage the grids — they should be pruned. To do that, the owner of a land plot should submit a de-energization request to DTEK Kyiv Regional Grids, agree on a time and only then prune the trees within the distance of at least one meter from the power line.