DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant and national energy company Ukrenergo were able to carry out complicated switches in the energy system to prevent the disconnection of all power consumers in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, reads a press release of DTEK company.
“A full energy collapse was threatening the Donbas due to the damage to high-tension transmission lines from armed hostilities. Two thirds of consumers in Luhansk region were disconnected from power supplies. Luhansk thermal power plant, which is part of DTEK energy holding, took the whole loading on itself, preventing the disconnection of another one third of consumers, among which are industrial enterprises with hazardous types of production. Energy workers were able to stabilize the situation, but the power transmission lines have to be restored. This will be possible only if armed hostilities in the Donbas are stopped,” reads the press release.
“At 12.30 p.m. on Saturday, July 26 due to hostilities in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, two 220 kV high-tension system-forming transmission lines belonging to Ukrenergo were damaged (another 330 kV line was damaged earlier). DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant was automatically disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid and started operating in what is called a regime of balanced loading. This means that the power supply in Luhansk region depended on DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant. DTEK and Ukrenergo workers have had to carry out the most difficult and unique switches, and regulate the regimes of operation of units that have not been applied since Soviet times and were practiced only during training to stabilize the operation of the power grid. They managed to prevent the full disconnection of the power plant,” DTEK said.
“From 12.30 p.m. to 5.32 p.m. DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant regulated the catenary frequency itself. Before the incident, all power producers of the united power grid supported the stability of the catenary frequency under orders from dispatchers. Thanks to the fact that over the past year DTEK actively modernized the power units of Luhansk thermal power plant and introduced automated systems, after 5.32 p.m. they were able to connect the thermal power plant to the national electricity grid,” the company said.
The press service said that DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant, which was built over 50 years ago, is operating at the limit of its capacity. On July 7, a bridge was blown up near the power plant, which was used to supply coal for electricity production. Now there are coal stocks enough for only for 20 days if the plant is loaded in full and operates all of its three units.
The capacity of 400 MW from DTEK Luhansk thermal power plant is enough only to support power supplies to one third of largest industrial enterprises in Luhansk region. The full stoppage of these enterprises could threaten large-scale manmade and ecological disasters.
“Disconnections of power first affected mines – the pumping of underground water and air conditioning was turned off at several of mines, and miners were evacuated. Enterprises in Donetsk region were affected by the disconnection from the power grid. Taking into account the risk of industrial incidents at the blacked out enterprises, now life in the region depends on the work of energy companies, without exaggeration,” DTEK said.
The energy workers of Ukrenergo are preparing to restore high-tension transmission lines. Armed hostilities have to stop if this work is to be done.
DTEK was established in 2005 to manage the energy assets of System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk), belonging to Rinat Akhmetov. The corporation performs the strategic management of the group’s enterprises, composing a vertically integrated chain for coal mining and enrichment, electricity generation and sales.
