Ukrainian energy minister promises no rolling blackouts in near future

Ukraine's energy system will work as normal in the near future, without any rolling blackouts, Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said.

"There will be no rolling blackouts during the next period. They have not been reported over the past six days," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Demchyshyn recalled that power outages in December had been triggered by a war-related reduction in coal reserves to the minimum, and the blocking of coal imports by Russia, as well as failed compliance with regional power consumption limits.

He said that even if it were necessary to return to the blackouts, they would be conducted transparently, and that consumers would be informed of them beforehand.