Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on June 7 called on state authorities to reduce electricity consumption amid Russia's continuing attacks on energy infrastructure.
A recent uptick in Russian strikes put a heavy strain on Ukraine's power grid, with several power plants being destroyed or disabled.
Due to resulting power deficits, Ukraine began implementing rolling shutdowns on May 15. The blackouts last from four to eight hours on average and could be carried out up to three times per day.
In a post on Telegram on June 7, Shmyhal said that, as well as fixing infrastructure, a second approach was also needed.
"Let's start with ourselves. All state authorities are tasked with reducing electricity consumption," he said.
"We are adopting the relevant government order today."
Shmyhal said "ministries, central executive bodies, and regional state administrations" should no longer use air conditioning or external lighting on buildings.
Local authorities have been asked to limit street lighting.
"We also urge businesses to limit the use of air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment that is not critical for production," he added.
Hospitals, and enterprises where air conditioning is part of the production process would not be subject to the order.
The state of Ukraine's energy system will temporarily improve after an additional unit of a nuclear power station starts to operate, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukraine's state grid operator Ukrenergo, told Ukrainska Pravda on June 6.
Ukrenergo expects that another nuclear power plant unit will be launched overnight on June 8 after its repair. The improvement will be temporary and last for two weeks, as the heat in July will affect the load of Ukraine's energy system, Kudrytskyi said.
Since the start of 2024, Russia has launched six large-scale attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Russia carried out the last large-scale attack overnight on June 1, damaging energy infrastructure in various regions across the country.
An attack in April destroyed the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant, the main electricity supplier to Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy oblasts.
Russian strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure have cost the state over $1 billion in damage, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said in May.
Chris York
(Updated: )
