As a result of the Russian attack on the energy sector on the morning of March 22 and the subsequent power outage in a number of regions of Ukraine, more than 1,000 miners were stranded in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported.
"A number of mines in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions are without power," the department noted, adding that there is no threat to the lives of the miners.
In particular, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, energy facilities in the Dniprovsk, Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad and Kamiansky districts were damaged.
As DTEK clarified, electricity generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in the region were damaged, leading to emergency shutdowns by order of NPC Ukrenergo.
An emergency shutdown system has also been introduced in the Donetsk region.
DTEK reported that they have already activated backup power sources and begun evacuating miners from the powerless mines to the surface. This includes 1,060 people.
"All miners are undergoing medical examinations after evacuation. There are no injuries. After the mines are restored and the necessary preparatory work is carried out, coal mining will resume," the company noted.
The Ministry of Energy added that due to the emergency shutdown of several TPP and HPP units, there is a certain reduction in electricity production. To cover the needs of consumers, emergency electricity supplies from neighboring countries - Romania, Slovakia and Poland - are being used. Commercial electricity imports are also planned.
