Russian War Against Ukraine: Energy Dimension (daily updating DiXi Group alert)
February 15
Summary
– According to the Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, after the Russians partially destroyed and deliberately opened the Kakhovka HPP floodgates, 70% of the settlements that receive water from the Dnipro River may be left without access to drinking water. In addition, a drop in water levels can lead to improper functioning of the Zaporizhzhia NPP cooling systems.
– On February 15, electricity consumption decreased slowly, there was no capacity deficit in the power system for the fourth day in a row – Ukrenergo. A unit at one of the power plants was offline for emergency repair, while a unit at another power plant was put into operation after repairs. Also, due to the non-typical water harvesting, hydropower plants operate intensively, and RES generation was also increasing.
– Due to the absence of deficit, consumption limits were not applied in the regions. Network restrictions due to damaged infrastructure were applied in the Odesa region, as well as in parts of the Kherson and Kharkiv regions.
– The government approved a list of 26 mineral deposits of strategic importance for national economy and defense, that will be offered through tenders for the conclusion of production sharing agreements. The list features deposits of vanadium, lithium, titanium, uranium ores and potassium salt. The list is not exhaustive and will be reviewed annually.
– The Cabinet of Ministers approved a draft law “On Minimum Stocks of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products” which defines basic principles of the creation and functioning of the system of minimum stocks.According to the Ministry of Energy, the draft was developed to implement the Directive 2009/119/EU.
– Another package of draft laws, initiated by the government and registered at the Verkhovna Rada, includes introduction of net billing for RES installation of consumers and of the register for issuance, use and termination of guarantees of origin for electricity from RES.
– The NEURC approved the requirement for DSOs on direct informing of customers about power supply interruptions no later than 1 hour before the restriction, and in the event of an emergency – immediately after the actual application – using personal accounts of consumers and/or messengers, emails.
– Already 1 million Ukrainians used the program to exchange incandescent lamps for energy-saving LED lamps.
– As experts reported, in January 2023, the volume of motor petroleum imports to Ukraine exceeded 200,000 tons; almost a third was shipped from Romania.
