With the onset of autumn and the first cold snap in Ukraine, the threat of hostile attacks on energy infrastructure and the use of blackout schedules is increasing. Find out more about who is not going to be cut off from electricity

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Ukraine may introduce a ban on power outages for six categories of citizens considered to be vulnerable consumers. Such a law may come into force in the event of blackout schedules or massive power outages.

The RBC-Ukraine information resource (Styler project) explains which categories of citizens may fall under this ban and whether we should expect possible interruptions in electricity supply.

The groups of people who may be exempted from power outages include the following:

• Recipients of housing subsidies.

• Persons with disabilities of groups I and II, including those caring for disabled persons or children with disabilities who do not receive housing subsidies.

• Persons who take care of children in family-type orphanages and do not receive housing subsidies.

• Large and low-income families who do not receive housing subsidies.

• Foster families with three or more children who do not receive housing subsidies.

• Household electricity consumers living in residential premises, whose life and health depend on the continuous operation of medical equipment powered by electricity networks, as evidenced by information and/or documents, and who are not recipients of housing subsidies.

The Ministry of Energy plans to create a special database of vulnerable consumers, which will contain the following information:

- Name of the consumer;

- Date of birth;

- Registration number of the taxpayer's account card;

- Address of residence or actual stay;

- Details of foreigners or stateless persons, including the EIC code (energy identification code);

- Vulnerable consumer's personal account number;

- Name of the universal service provider and its code in the Unified State Register of Enterprises and Organizations of Ukraine;

- Dates when special protection measures for vulnerable consumers started and ended.

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How to get the status of a vulnerable user?

To obtain the status of a vulnerable consumer and register in the database, you need to contact the universal service provider in person or submit an application in electronic form through your personal account on the provider's official website. 

Applications are reviewed and the consumer is notified of the results within 10 business days by entering the relevant information in the bill or receipt and personal account on the website.

When is the shelling of Ukraine's energy infrastructure possible?

Currently, the schedules of power outages are not active. However, on September 20, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Russia may be conducting intelligence activities against Ukraine's energy system. Therefore, there is a potential threat of repeated attacks.

According to Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, many more critical infrastructure facilities are now equipped with autonomous power sources. 

He noted that equipping such facilities with generators not only increases the resilience of the infrastructure, but also provides flexibility in case of need to apply blackout schedules. 

Kudrytskyi emphasized that there are no plans to introduce any blackout schedules, and even if the Ministry of Energy updates them, it does not mean that they will be automatically applied. This is just a measure to be prepared in case of unexpected situations.

We remind you! The Ministry of Energy has denied reports of possible power outages in different regions of Ukraine starting October 1. Find out whether the power will be cut off, what is the current state of Ukraine's energy system, and what is known about the new heating season of 2023 in our article.

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