Ukrainian NPPs have been urgently unloaded

Emergency shutdown of 400 kV and 750 kV lines caused a cascading failure in the power system

A serious accident occurred in the power system due to the disconnection of main power lines. This was announced by the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denis Shmygal.

What happened

According to the head of government, there was a technological disruption with a blackout:

• lines 400 kV between Romania and Moldova

• lines 750 kV between the western and central parts Ukraine

The result was Nuclear power plants have been unloaded, which is a standard security system response to a loss of network stability.

Consequences.

A technological failure led to cascade shutdown and activation of automatic protections in the power system. This was the reason for large-scale emergency power outages in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

Context.

The Ukrainian power system operates in synchronisation with the European ENTSO-E grid, so disruptions on key interconnectors can have a cross-border effect. Experts. Ukrenergo and neighbouring operators are working to stabilise the regime and restore normal grid operations.