The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has approved a Roadmap for Smart Grids Development. It envisages the introduction of automation and digital solutions at all levels of the energy system. This is necessary to make the system more balanced and secure, as well as more resilient to military risks.
According to the roadmap, the restoration of facilities damaged as a result of russian attacks is planned to be carried out using smart technologies. In particular, microgrid technologies are more resistant to military factors and natural disasters.
“Ukraine’s power system is an integral part of the European one, and therefore must be developed and modernised in line with European standards. The introduction of smart grid technology will optimise the production, transmission and consumption of electricity, thereby stimulating the reduction of electricity losses,” said Energy Minister German Galushchenko.
The introduction of smart grid technology will reduce electricity losses in the power grids by 6 billion kWh annually in Ukraine as a whole. It will also help reduce the annual SAIDI index (a measure of the duration of power outages) to about 100 minutes, which is in line with the EU average.
The Roadmap for the Smart Grids Development also envisages the active development of automatic monitoring, control, regulation and protection systems for grids, measurement and data collection systems, in particular, smart electricity metering systems and significant attention will be paid to cybersecurity.
It should be noted that the roadmap is a stage in the implementation of the Concept for the Implementation of Smart Grids in Ukraine, which was approved by the Government upon the proposal of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko. A number of distribution system operators, including state-owned Khmelnytskoblenergo, Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo, Kharkivoblenergo and Mykolaivoblenergo, are already implementing pilot projects to develop smart grids. (Government portal)