Ukrenergo
Ukrenergo
Operator of the electricity transmission grid in Ukraine
Ukrenergo (Ukrainian: ПрАТ «Національна енергетична компанія "Укренерго"», literally 'National Power Company "Ukrenergo"[1]') is an electricity transmission system operator in Ukraine and the sole operator of the country's high-voltage transmission lines. It is 100% owned by Ukrainian government (Ministry of Energy).
The territory of the Soviet Union was integrated into the IPS/UPS synchronous grid, which is now effectively controlled by Russia. The one exception was the "Burshtyn Power Island", centered on the Burshtyn TES, which in 2003 was connected to the synchronous grid of Continental Europe, controlled by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E).[3]
Ukraine continued this arrangement until the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, after which Ukraine signed an association agreement with EU. On 28 June 2017, the head of Ukrenergo Vsevolod Kovalchuk signed an agreement to synchronize the whole Ukrainian power grid with the European grid.[4] The agreement outlined a roadmap to finalize the process in 2023. But the military buildup preceding the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerated this process. On 24 February 2022, 4 hours before the invasion, Ukraine was disconnected from the Russian grid[5] in what was expected to be a 72 hours test of autonomous stability.[3] Ukraine was able to continue in this less-stable configuration because electricity demand was reduced by about a third as civilians fled the country and fighting caused blackouts in some areas.[6]
Ukraine and Moldova were connected with the ENTSO-E grid on 16 March 2022.[7][8][9] At the time of connection, coal power plants were making up for generators that were out of action (including seven of Ukrenergo's fifteen nuclear power plants, representing 10% of Ukraine's electric generation), and there was 2 GW of capacity connecting the two grids.[10]
During the 2022 invasion, Ukrenergo received support from allied countries including a €370 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with assistance from USA and the Netherlands,[11] and several million for generators from the UK.[12]
Ukraine cannot sell power into the rest of the ENTSO-E grid until it installs static synchronous compensators. It is allowed to import electricity, but there is limited transmission capacity to do so, far less than would be needed to power the entire country.[6]
