Hospitals and electric transport partially shut down in Lviv due to change in approach to criticality of enterprises
Lviv has been experiencing a large-scale power outage since the night before, which has temporarily suspended normal operations in some hospitals, including the intensive care unit, as well as all public transport, including trams and trolleybuses.
Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi reported on social media that the government has changed its approach to determining the criticality of enterprises and infrastructure facilities in the face of energy shortages. From now on, even such facilities as artificial respiration devices, trams and trolleybuses are included in the schedule of planned outages, which leads to interruptions in their operation.
According to Sadovyi, the new criteria raise serious questions about the priorities in providing electricity to vital medical and transport systems.
Government response and contingency plans
The city authorities of Lviv have announced that they are working on alternative measures to ensure the functioning of public transport. This includes emergency reinforcement of electric transport routes, including by changing traffic patterns, using backup power sources and adapting timetables to minimise the impact of outages on passengers.
Representatives of utilities also confirmed that hospitals with critical equipment are working to connect backup power supplies to avoid endangering patients' lives.
Context.
In recent weeks, Ukraine's energy system has been under considerable pressure due to increased winter consumption and difficulties with fuel and energy supplies. This has led to the introduction of blackout schedules in various regions of the country.
The principle of determining the «criticality» of infrastructure has recently been revised at the government level to optimise the use of limited electricity. This change has led to the inclusion of facilities that were previously considered a priority in the schedule of planned outages.
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