The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a resolution to improve the mechanism for balancing the operation of the United Energy System (UES) of Ukraine and ensure uninterrupted power supply to critical consumers in the face of electricity shortages and stabilisation restrictions due to massive damage to critical energy infrastructure.

The document, initiated by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, aims to ensure a fair and even distribution of available electricity to household consumers when electricity restrictions are applied.

"The situation is very complicated now, and everyone understands that there will be further power restrictions. But our goal is to make them as minimal as possible under the current circumstances, while ensuring the fairest possible approach. After all, we have all been through this before and are aware of how uncomfortable it is to be left without electricity," said Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

The Procedure for Determining and Applying Electricity Consumption Limits, approved by this resolution, defines the procedure for interaction between the Ministry of Energy, the State Energy Supervision Service, the transmission system operator and distribution system operators in the process of determining and applying the power limit.

In accordance with the Procedure, regional and Kyiv city military administrations prepare and approve lists of critical facilities that should be provided with priority electricity supply in accordance with the established minimum load.

This list of consumers may include facilities that ensure the operation of: critical infrastructure facilities of the fuel and energy sector and the life support sector included in the Register of Critical Infrastructure Facilities; state-owned or municipally owned healthcare facilities; military units and territorial centres for recruitment and social support (including facilities used for the territorial community under martial law); defence enterprises; enterprises whose activities are important for ensuring the food, economic and/or energy security of the country, enterprises with a continuous production cycle; electronic communication networks; public authorities.

Thus, the transmission system operator, NPC Ukrenergo, is obliged to ensure a fair and uniform order of distribution of the maximum capacity among other consumers not included in these lists. It must calculate the maximum capacity, excluding these facilities, and then communicate its value to each distribution system operator. Accordingly, the distribution system operators will formulate schedules of hourly power outages and schedules of restrictions and emergency power outages within this maximum capacity.

The Resolution will come into force one month after its publication and will remain in force during the period of martial law and 6 months after its termination or cancellation.

The decision will help to ensure the principle of fair and even distribution of electricity within the limits between consumers who are not included in the list of critical facilities with priority electricity supply.