Blackouts possible in Ukraine

On 15th February 2017 the Ukrainian government declared a state of emergency in the energy sector. This means in practice that it will be easier to limit electricity supplies to end users.

The main reason behind the decision is the shortage of anthracite which has occurred in the last few weeks due to the blockade of railways between the part of Donbas which is not controlled by Kyiv and the rest of the country. Former soldiers of the volunteer Donbas Battalion and members of parliament of the opposition party Self-help, including Semen Semenchenko, the former commander of the Donbas Battalion, are among those blocking the railways.

The blockade has been organised in protest against trading with the separatist part of Donbas and, above all, the growing scale of smuggling, also coal. Half of Ukraine’s coal-fired power generation is dependent on anthracite and all anthracite mines are located in the areas which remain beyond Kyiv’s control. On 15th February Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman has urged the protesters to call off the blockade and called the obstruction of coal supplies a crime.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Ukraine: new regulator of the energy sector http://www.europeansources.info/record/ukraine-new-regulator-of-the-energy-sector/

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