Ukraine restores power grid after Jan. 31 technical failure

Nation

2 February, 01:54 PM

Ukrainian power engineers and repair crews have fully restored the energy system to its pre-accident condition following a technical failure on Jan. 31, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Feb. 2.

The president said the system's operation has been stabilized, though challenges remain significant due to extremely cold weather and the effects of Russian strikes.

Emergency power outages were implemented in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Feb. 2 under orders from Ukrenergo, with regular outage schedules suspended during these measures.

The Jan. 31 incident triggered widespread emergency blackouts across Kyiv and multiple regions, temporarily halting water supply and metro operations in the capital due to voltage loss.

Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal attributed the failure to a technical disruption involving the simultaneous outage of a 400 kV line connecting Romania and Moldova's grids, along with a 750 kV line linking western and central Ukraine.

The Digital Transformation Ministry ruled out a cyberattack, and Shmyhal cited preliminary assessments pointing to icing on lines and equipment as the cause.

On Feb. 1, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksii Kuleba noted the most severe heating issues in Kyiv's Solomyanskyi and Pecherskyi districts.

That evening, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported that 244 buildings in the city remained without heating after the incident, with 3,419 apartment buildings affected overall.

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