PUE:2026 — what changed and how to use it

Author: Viacheslav Yurdyk, Quality Engineer at LK Energy Group.
Acceptance of equipment at the plant (quality control department) and technical supervision on electrical installation sites.

Short answer

PUE (PUE — the Ukrainian electrical installation code) is the set of rules by which an electrical installation is designed and built, not operated. It sets requirements for general-purpose electrical installations with alternating current up to 750 kV and direct current up to 1.5 kV, and applies to new construction, reconstruction, technical re-equipment or capital repair [ПУЕ, п. 1.1.1].

The main point that removes most of the worry: if your installation was built under the rules in force at that time, the new provisions need not be applied to it [там само]. This is the direct answer to the panic «a new PUE is out — everything we have is now illegal»: a new edition does not mean an existing facility must be rebuilt. Rework becomes necessary when you carry out reconstruction, technical re-equipment or capital repair — and it is then that the design is calculated against the new edition.

What the PUE is, in plain words

Think of building codes, but for electrical work. They do not explain how to use a socket — they tell the designer and the installer what the installation itself must be like: which conductor cross-section will carry the current, how to earth it, at what distance to run the cable, what to test before commissioning.

Three documents that are constantly confused:

Document	What it covers	When it applies
PUE — rules for the design and construction of electrical installations	how to build	design, construction, reconstruction
PTEES — rules for technical operation	how to operate what has already been built	daily, throughout the service life
NPAOP / PBEE	occupational safety and personnel protection	while work is carried out

The Rules refer to this link directly: they were developed taking into account scheduled preventive tests and repairs and personnel training under PTEES and NPAOP 40.1-1.01 [ПУЕ, п. 1.1.2].

How the document is organised: 6 sections

Searching the PUE saves hours once you understand the numbering: the first digit is the section, the second is the chapter, then the clause number. A reference «п. 1.7.34» reads as clause 34 of chapter 7, section 1.

Section	What it covers	Chapters
1	General rules	1.1 general part · 1.2 power supply and networks · 1.3 selection of conductors by heating · 1.4 selection of devices for short-circuit conditions · 1.5 electricity metering · 1.6 measurement · 1.7 earthing and protective measures · 1.8 acceptance test standards · 1.9 external insulation
2	Transmission of electricity	2.1 wiring · 2.2 busways · 2.3 cable lines · 2.4 and 2.5 overhead lines
3	Protection and automation	3.1 protection of networks up to 1 kV · 3.3 automation and telemechanics
4	Switchgear and substations	4.1 switchgear up to 1 kV · 4.2 switchgear and substations above 1 kV · 4.3 converter installations · 4.4 battery rooms
5	Electric power installations	5.1 electrical machine rooms · 5.2 generators · 5.3 electric motors
6	Electric lighting	6.1 general part · 6.4 illuminated signage · 6.5 lighting control · 6.6 luminaires

🔑 A practical takeaway for the client. Two chapters cover most of the questions that arise on a real site: 1.7 — earthing (175 clauses) and 1.8 — tests before commissioning (230 clauses). If a contractor ever tells you «the PUE does not allow that», it most likely refers to one of these two.

What changed in the 2026 edition

The new edition was approved by Order No. 283 of the Ministry of Energy dated 05.06.2026 [source: the order itself, not OCR].

How we checked what exactly changed. We do not retell someone else's list of changes. We put two editions side by side: the current 2026 (Order No. 283 of the Ministry of Energy dated 05.06.2026) and the previous 2017 (Order No. 476 of the Ministry of Energy and Coal dated 21.07.2017, published on the State Energy Supervision website) — and compared the pages by eye. Below is only what we saw in both documents ourselves. We do not publish a full list of changes across all six sections: that would run to hundreds of pages, and it is more honest to say «this is what we verified» than to pass a retelling off as an exhaustive list. Chapter 1.1 (general part) and the beginning of chapter 1.7 (earthing) were verified — the five changes below come from there.

Change 1. The Rules are now stitched to the market codes — that was not there before. In the 2026 edition, clause 1.1.2 gained a paragraph: the Rules comply with the requirements for electrical installations set out in the Transmission System Code, the Distribution Systems Code, the Commercial Metering Code and the Market Rules. In the 2017 edition clause 1.1.2 has no such paragraph — there the clause ended with a list of GKD 34.20.507, PTEES and NPAOP. (verified manually: PUE:2026 p. 4 · PUE-2017 p. 5)

For the client this is not a formality. The requirements for grid connection, for metering and for how your facility works with the grid now sit in the same frame as the rules by which it is built. Previously these were two separate conversations — one with the designer, one with the DSO.

Change 2. The terminology has moved to the electricity market law. In 2017 the terms of the Rules were taken from the Law of Ukraine «On the Electric Power Industry» and, in particular, from DSTU 2267-93. In 2026 the base law is the Law of Ukraine «On the Electricity Market», and DSTU 2267-93 has disappeared from the list. The set of terms taken from the law has changed too: instead of «electric power industry entity» and «development of electrical networks» — «regulatory and technical document» and «development of the Integrated Power System of Ukraine». (verified manually: PUE:2026 p. 5 · PUE-2017 p. 6)

Change 3. References to other standards are no longer tied to a year. In 2017 the list contained DBN A.2.2-3-2012, GKD 34.20.507-2003. In 2026 the years have been removed from such references and replaced with a note: referenced documents are applied in the edition in force at the time of use. In practice this means an update of a related DSTU or DBN is picked up automatically and does not wait for a new edition of the PUE. (verified manually: PUE:2026 pp. 4–5 · PUE-2017 pp. 5–6)

Change 4. In the earthing chapter, the document it relies on has changed. Measures against electric shock in installations up to 1 kV in buildings and structures were governed in the 2017 edition by DBN V.2.5-27-2006 «Protective electrical safety measures in electrical installations of buildings and structures». In the 2026 edition its place is taken by DSTU B V.2.5-82:2016 «Electrical safety in buildings and structures. Requirements for protective measures against electric shock». The condition is the same in both editions: this document applies provided it does not lower the level of requirements of the chapter itself [п. 1.7.1]. (verified manually: PUE:2026 p. 93 · PUE-2017 p. 91)

Change 5. Electricity storage has been added to the scope of the earthing chapter. A one-word detail that concerns everyone installing a battery system. In 2017 chapter 1.7 covered installations for the «generation, conversion, transformation, transmission and distribution» of electricity. In 2026 the list gained storage. (verified manually: PUE:2026 p. 93 · PUE-2017 p. 91)

This is consistent with another new requirement: switchgear and low-voltage assemblies through which storage or generation installations are connected must be marked with the sign «W026 — Warning: battery charging» to DSTU EN ISO 7010 [п. 4.1.37]. In other words, storage systems are no longer «something outside the Rules».

What has NOT changed — and for most readers this is the main thing. The scope is the same: alternating current up to 750 kV, direct current up to 1.5 kV, application — new construction, reconstruction, technical re-equipment or capital repair. The provision on existing installations has been kept as well: in 2017 — «the new provisions of the Rules are not mandatory for application in existing installations built under the Rules in force at the time of construction», in 2026 — «in existing installations… the new provisions of the Rules need not be applied». The wording was rewritten, the meaning is the same. (verified manually: PUE:2026 p. 4 · PUE-2017 p. 5)

Where to get the official text — honestly

The official source of the current 2026 edition is the official publication of Order No. 283 of the Ministry of Energy dated 05.06.2026 and the standards platforms. The text is paid; free «complete PUE» files on the internet are almost always an old edition or recognised copies with errors.
The previous 2017 edition is available free of charge and officially — the text approved by Order No. 476 dated 21.07.2017 is published on the website of the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate (sies.gov.ua). This is useful if you need to check which rules your facility was built under.
🔴 We do not publish the full text of the Rules on our website — it is someone else's copyrighted text. We quote specific clauses with their numbers so that you can check us against the primary source.
We verify the figures by eye against the printed text, not against automatic recognition. An example of why this is not over-caution: in clause 1.7.97 the recognition produced a permissible touch voltage of 20 V, while the printed text says 50 V. A single wrong digit in a place like this is no longer a text error — it is a design error.
🔴 Advice to the reader: if a contractor refers to «a PUE clause», ask for the clause number. A requirement without a number is an opinion, not a requirement.

Engineer's note: how we apply this

When a request «do it to the PUE» reaches us, we ask three clarifying questions, all of them straight from the text of the Rules:

Is this new construction or an existing installation? This determines whether the new edition applies at all [п. 1.1.1].
What is the neutral arrangement of the network? Chapter 1.7 divides installations into four groups: up to 1 kV with a solidly earthed neutral, up to 1 kV with an isolated neutral, above 1 kV with an isolated / compensated / resistor-earthed neutral, and above 1 kV with a solidly or effectively earthed neutral [п. 1.7.2]. This governs the entire subsequent protection calculation.
What about testing? Chapter 1.8 covers equipment up to 750 kV that is newly commissioned or energised after technical re-equipment or replacement of components [п. 1.8.1]. So a test report is required not only for a new facility.

Frequently asked questions

(all figures below come from PUE clauses; where values are given in tables, this is stated)

What is the PUE and how does it differ from the PTEES?

The PUE is about how an installation is build; the PTEES is about how it is operate. The PUE sets requirements for installations with alternating current up to 750 kV and direct current up to 1.5 kV and applies to design, construction, reconstruction, technical re-equipment or capital repair [п. 1.1.1].

A new edition of the PUE is out — do we have to rebuild an existing installation?

No. If the installation was built under the rules in force at the time of its construction, the new provisions need not be applied [п. 1.1.1]. The new edition becomes mandatory when you enter reconstruction, technical re-equipment or capital repair.

Which edition is currently in force?

The edition approved by Order No. 283 of the Ministry of Energy dated 05.06.2026.

Is «PUE-7» the same thing?

«PUE-7» is the colloquial name of the seventh edition of the old rules. Documents should refer to the current Ukrainian edition, not to «the seventh edition».

What is a «chapter» in the PUE and how do you read a clause number?

The first digit is the section, the second the chapter, the third the clause number. «п. 1.7.34» = section 1, chapter 7 (earthing), clause 34.

Which chapter covers earthing?

Chapter 1.7 «Earthing and protective measures against electric shock» — 175 clauses. It applies to new construction, reconstruction and technical re-equipment, and may be applied to existing installations to improve electrical safety [п. 1.7.1].

What are the earthing resistance limits?

There is no «single figure for everything»: the value depends on the voltage, on the neutral arrangement and on what exactly you measure — the entire earthing system or an individual earth electrode. The most common question is about a 0.4 kV network with a solidly earthed neutral, and the limits there are:

What is measured	690 V	400 V	230 V
Earthing system to which the source neutral is connected	2 Ω	4 Ω	8 Ω
Earth electrode to which the neutral is connected directly	15 Ω	30 Ω	60 Ω
Total resistance of all earth electrodes of the line's PEN conductor	5 Ω	10 Ω	20 Ω
Each individual repeated earthing of the PEN conductor	15 Ω	30 Ω	60 Ω

[ПУЕ, пп. 1.7.92 і 1.7.95]

Three more figures that are asked about alongside these: - 30 Ω — repeated earthing of the PEN (PE) conductor at the service entrance to a building [п. 1.7.94]; - 4 Ω (source rated above 100 kV·A) and 10 Ω (up to 100 kV·A) — for installations with an isolated neutral; at such values the formula-based calculation need not be verified [п. 1.7.97]; - in soils with a resistivity above 100 Ω·m the limits may be increased by a factor of 0.01ρ, but by no more than 10 times [п. 1.7.96].

Where does the PUE cover cable cross-section?

Chapter 1.3 «Selection of conductors by heating»: it contains both the method for selecting the cross-section and the tables of permissible continuous currents — separately for wires and cables with rubber and plastic insulation, for cables with impregnated paper insulation, for XLPE cables, for self-supporting and covered conductors, and for bare conductors and busbars.

What should the insulation resistance be and what is it measured with?

Insulation resistance is measured with an insulation tester; the test voltage and permissible values are given in table 1.8.1 [п. 1.8.29]. There is no single figure «for everything» — the values differ by equipment. Two examples from the text of the Rules to show the logic: · machine windings — measured at 0.5 kV (for a rated winding voltage up to 0.5 kV) or at 1 kV (above that); at an air temperature of 10–30 °C the value must be at least 0.5 MΩ [п. 1.8.58]; · DC machines above 500 V are put into service without drying the insulation if the resistance measured at 1000 V is at least 0.5 MΩ and the absorption ratio is at least 1.2 [п. 1.8.57, підпункт «б»]. ⚠️ The second example concerns DC machines above 500 V specifically, not a general rule.

Which tests are required before commissioning?

Chapter 1.8 «Acceptance test standards». It covers main and auxiliary equipment of installations up to 750 kV that is newly commissioned or energised after technical re-equipment or replacement of components at existing facilities [п. 1.8.1].

Are tests of cable lines and power transformers also covered by the PUE?

Yes, the scope of acceptance tests for them is in chapter 1.8; the requirements for cable lines themselves are in chapter 2.3.

Does the PUE cover wiring inside a building?

Wiring is chapter 2.1. At the same time, for installations up to 1 kV in residential, administrative, public and industrial buildings, protection against electric shock is governed by DSTU B V.2.5-82:2016, provided it does not lower the requirements of chapter 1.7 [п. 1.7.1].

CTA

Designing or reconstructing a facility and want the solution to meet the rules from the start — send us a single-line diagram or a technical specification, and we will price the set and point out which clauses your case touches. Indicative prices on the website are not a public offer; the exact cost depends on your diagram.

Need your solution checked against the rules

LK Energy designs and manufactures electrical switchgear for 0.4–35 kV at its own plant in Odesa. If you have a single-line diagram or a completed questionnaire, we will review the configuration and design for your facility.

This material is provided for information only and is neither an offer nor legal advice. We do not publish the full text of the Rules — only quotations with clause numbers; obtain the official text from the source indicated above.

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PUE:2026 — what it is, what changed and how to use it