Temperatures in Ukraine hover around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit).
Ukraine’s government on Friday ordered all ministries and regional authorities to stop using air conditioning and turn off outdoor lighting as Russian bombing raids forced long blackouts across the country.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said reducing energy consumption and saving as much electricity as possible was vital following Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy system.
“Due to the Russian attacks, we have a significant deficit in the energy system. To improve the situation, we restore and expand production and simultaneously reduce consumption,” Shmyhal said at a government meeting.
“We approve the government’s order to reduce electricity consumption by all state authorities. Ministries, central institutions and regional administrations must stop using air conditioning and external lighting in buildings and nearby areas.”
Temperatures in Ukraine are hovering around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and could rise to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in July and August.
Shmyhal said the government has recommended similar measures for law enforcement institutions and judicial authorities.
He urged businesses to follow suit and limit the use of air conditioning and other energy-intensive equipment as much as possible.
ROLLING BLACKOUTS
Over the past two months, Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has intensified attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, destroying most of the thermal and hydroelectric production capacity. Shmyhal said Ukraine has lost around 9 GW of power generation capacity since March.
Following the latest attack earlier this month, the sixth since March, the government imposed long electricity cuts across the country. Some consumers in Kiev said they had no electricity for up to 12 hours a day.
The rolling blackouts are a reminder of the first winter of the war, when Russian bombing raids hit the distribution grid, resulting in long hours without electricity and sometimes without water and heating during the critical cold months.
Russian forces are now focusing mainly on the generation that is more difficult and takes longer to repair.
Authorities and industry are carrying out around-the-clock repairs to the power system to prepare for the critical cold months, Shmyhal said. Kiev is also trying to implement reforms to enable a less centralized energy system.
The government has about 500 million euros ($540 million) in aid from its Western partners in a fund set up to purchase equipment, Shmyhal said.
Authorities are also in talks with Ukraine’s western neighbors to increase electricity imports from 1.7 GW to more than 2 GW and nearly double consumers’ electricity tariffs to finance repairs.
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