During an official visit to Kyiv, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson met with Ukraine’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko to discuss their cooperation in strengthening the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system and preparing for the upcoming heating season.
Minister Galushchenko highlighted that the power system faces a complicated situation after the massive Russian attacks.
“We have already lost more than 8 GW. But we are working to restore the affected facilities and will restore as much as possible. Urgent solutions also include an increase in generation by next winter, in particular, maneuvering capacities.”
Commissioner Simson pledged the European Union’s support in rebuilding the country’s energy infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to households and industries. The parties discussed the equipment needs of the Ukrainian energy sector which European partners could meet. The meeting also focused on the financial support from the Ukraine Energy Support Fund established under the Energy Community Secretariat. The two highlighted the potential of interconnections between Ukraine and European countries, which would help balance the energy system by allowing electricity sourced from partner countries. Additionally, both parties discussed coordinating international cooperation to increase pressure on Russia and remove the country from global energy markets.
The Commissioner emphasised the need to terminate the contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe later this year, and announced the European Commission’s intention to impose a new package of sanctions against Russia. The Commissioner also recalled that Russia has repeatedly manipulated prices on the gas market, making it an unreliable gas supplier. The EU has been preparing for this situation for two years.
“Sanctions should deprive Russia of the opportunity to be any kind of player in the world markets,” Minister Galushchenko added.
The meeting also focused on the future integration of Ukrainian energy markets into the European market and the relevant regulatory and legal preparations.
“Happy to welcome @KadriSimson in Kyiv. Her tremendous efforts are key to sustain 🇺🇦 energy system. Discussed recovery plans post russian energy terror attacks. Agreed to develop decentralized generation, to maintain sanctions pressure on russia and mobilize int. support UA“, Minister German Galushchenko posted on X.
