Ukrainian poultry industry adapts to blackouts
Ukraine’s largest poultry producer, MHP, has started using refrigerated trucks with working electric generators to avoid production losses in case of blackouts. The measure is needed due to relentless Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.
The company told the local press that it provides its commercial partners with refrigerated trucks equipped with electric generators, which helps prevent food spoilage in retail outlets during a power outage. This measure could be used in more than 1,300 food retail outlets across Ukraine selling MHP products.
“Of course, blackouts in different regions affect the operation of our outlets. The risk is obvious: refrigerators do not work without electricity, and product quality can deteriorate. To prevent this from happening, if necessary, we provide franchisee partners with our refrigerated trucks into which we load products from retail outlets and connect them to generators,” the company explained.
Back-up capacities
In the Kyiv region, the latest damage to utilities will mean outages of 4 or more hours a day, estimated Ukrenergo, the state operator of Ukraine’s high-voltage transmission lines.
Since early October, nearly 30% of Ukraine’s capital power generation capacities have been damaged by Russian attacks on critical civil infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated that power outages affected about 4 million people across the country. So far, there have been no reports about blackouts impacting Ukrainian poultry production or food retail. Local analysts say that all industrial poultry farms in the country have a backup power supply established in case of power outages.
According to the International Energy Agency, Ukraine’s electricity demand has fallen by about 40% since Russia’s invasion. Still, even so, the authorities expect the next winter to be brutal for both the population and the industrial sector.
Answering the call
As Ukraine’s power generation capacities sustain losses, top government officials called businesses and citizens to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption during peak hours and avoiding using high-voltage appliances.
MHP emphasised that “business should help the Ukrainian energy system survive in the conditions of shelling of Ukrainian energy infrastructure by Russian troops”.
“Across the entire MHP supply chain, we are reducing electricity consumption and abandoning the elimination of advertising lighting devices. In addition, the Myasomarket franchise network is a new project of the company, so the equipment necessary for their operation meets the highest energy efficiency requirements, which allows them to consume less electricity,” the company said.
