Ukrenergo ( uk, ПрАТ «Національна енергетична компанія "Укренерго"», literally 'National Power Company "Ukrenergo"') is an electricity transmission system operator in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

and the sole operator of the country's high-voltage transmission lines. It is 100% owned by Ukrainian government (

Ministry of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

). The territory of the Soviet Union was integrated into the

IPS/UPS The IPS/UPS is a wide area synchronous transmission grid of some CIS countries, with a common mode of operation and centralized supervisory control. It has an installed generation capacity of 300 gigawatts, and produces 1,200 terawatt-ho ...

synchronous grid, which is now effectively controlled by Russia. The one exception was the "Burshtyn Power Island", centered on the

Burshtyn TES Burshtyn TES is a coal-fired power plant of Zakhidenergo located in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion south-east from Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is part of Rinat Akhmetov's holdings. It was struck by four Russian missiles on 10th of Octob ...

, which in 2003 was connected to the

synchronous grid of Continental Europe The synchronous grid of Continental Europe (also known as Continental Synchronous Area; formerly known as the UCTE grid) is the largest synchronous electrical grid (by connected power) in the world. It is interconnected as a single phase-locked ...

, controlled by the

European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators, represents 39 electricity transmission system operators (TSOs) from 35 countries across Europe, thus extending beyond EU borders. ENTSO-E was established and given legal mandates by ...

(ENTSO-E). Ukraine continued this arrangement until the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

in 2014, after which Ukraine signed an association agreement with EU. On 28 June 2017, an agreement was signed to synchronize the whole Ukrainian

power grid An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. It consists of:Kaplan, S. M. (2009). Smart Grid. Electrical Power ...

with the European grid. The agreement outlined a roadmap to finalize the process in 2023. But the military buildup preceding the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

accelerated this process. On 24 February 2022, 4 hours before the invasion, Ukraine was disconnected from the Russian grid in what was expected to be a 72 hours test of autonomous stability. Ukraine was able to continue in this less-stable configuration because electricity demand was reduced by about a third as civilians fled the country and fighting caused blackouts in some areas. Ukraine and Moldova were connected with the ENTSO-E grid on 16 March 2022. Ukraine cannot sell power into the rest of the ENTSO-E grid until it installs

static synchronous compensator A static synchronous compensator (STATCOM), originally known as a static synchronous condenser (STATCON), is a regulating device shunt-connected to alternating current electricity transmission network. It is based on a power electronics voltage-sou ...

s. It is allowed to import electricity, but there is limited transmission capacity to do so, far less than would be needed to power the entire country.

References

Electric power companies of Ukraine Electric power transmission system operators in Ukraine Energy in Ukraine Ukrainian companies established in 1998 Energy companies established in 1998 Government-owned companies of Ukraine Companies based in Kyiv {{Energy-company-stub