During his working visit to Paris, Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko met with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol. The parties discussed the challenges that Russian targeted attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure pose to global nuclear safety, as well as areas of assistance to the Ukrainian energy sector for recovery, UNN reports with reference to the Ministry of Energy.
Herman Galushchenko emphasized that energy remains a key target of the enemy, and the Russians are not sparing billions on the most advanced weapons, including ballistic missiles, to inflict maximum damage to Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"Trying to hit as many energy facilities as possible, they do not think about the risks they create. They do not think about nuclear safety when they attack substations critical to the operation of nuclear power plants or launch drones and missiles over nuclear facilities. The Russians endanger not only Ukraine but the whole world, because blackout of an operating nuclear power plant is a step towards the Fukushima scenario," he emphasized.
The Minister noted that IAEA monitoring missions at Ukrainian substations, which are critical to the operation of nuclear power plants, could be important in avoiding such a development.
Herman Galushchenko briefed Fatih Birol on the current state of the power system, the successful completion of the largest repair campaign in the history of Ukraine at power facilities and measures to prepare for the autumn-winter period.
The parties also discussed the critical importance of significantly increasing the limits of commercial electricity trade between Ukraine and the EU, noting that this will add additional reliability to the Ukrainian energy system, which is especially necessary for the difficult winter period of 2024/2025.
Separately, the head of the Ministry of Energy thanked the IEA Director General for the professional report "Energy Security of Ukraine and the Coming Winter" prepared by the agency's experts. The document contains 10 key measures and recommendations to international partners on areas that will help strengthen the country's energy security and enhance the resilience of the energy system to new threats.
The Minister of Energy of Ukraine also took part in the meeting of the IEA Board of Governors. In his speech, Herman Galushchenko thanked the IEA member states for their support of the Ukrainian energy sector, equipment and contributions to the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine, which allow restoring power facilities and preparing for winter.