DTEK Donetsk Grids restored electricity to 362,000 homes during the period of bad weather

Abnormal weather conditions caused large-scale damages of grids in the Donetsk region due to ice and mass falling of the trees. Sleet and frost led to icing of everything in the Donetsk region. Trees could not withstand the weight of the ice cover and were falling down in large numbers, almost in every backyard, including falling on the power lines. Ice was so thick that, sometimes, lines with poles could not withstand its weight too. 197 high-voltage poles were damaged. There are lines, where more than 20 poles have collapsed. Therefore, some lines had to be practically rebuilt. 

Bad weather lasted long and came in several waves, thus lines that were just restored suffered damage again. Over the course of this ice chaos, specialists of the energy company have restored operation of 4,300 transformer substations, thus restoring power supply to 362,200 families in 482 settlements. 

The scale of damage and unstable weather conditions – from glaze ice to mud – also complicated restorations and required more time for repairs than usually. Energy workers are now completing restorations: building 5 power lines to replace the ones practically destroyed by bad weather. 4 of them are in Pokrovsk district. Another one is in Kramatorsk district. First, energy workers install poles, then they install steel structures and wire. Mud complicates work – machinery is skidding. Sometimes, energy workers have to work on claws, as aerial platforms cannot get in the fields. 

In order to facilitate repairs, energy workers of the Donetsk region got help from the crews from Dnipro, Odesa and Kyiv region. When restoration activities in the regions less affected by bad weather were completed, crews that worked there have also been relocated to the more affected regions. 

Energy workers continue to work in high alert mode to ensure that electricity is restored to every home.