On May 6, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson discussed with Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko during an official visit to Kyiv cooperation to strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system and preparation for the next heating season, maneuverable generating capacities and sanctions against Russia, UNN reports citing the European Commission's press service.
Details
Minister Galushchenko reportedly emphasized that the situation in the power system after the massive Russian attacks is quite difficult. "We have already lost more than 8 GW. But we are working to restore the affected facilities and will restore them as much as possible. Among the urgent solutions is also an increase in generation by next winter, in particular, maneuverable capacities," the minister said.
EU Commissioner Kadri Simson noted that the European Union will support Ukraine in rebuilding its energy infrastructure so that industry and households do not face restrictions on electricity supply. The parties discussed the needs of the Ukrainian energy sector for equipment that could be provided by European partners. Particular attention was paid to financial support, in particular through the mechanisms of the Energy Support Fund for Ukraine, established under the Energy Community Secretariat. In addition, the importance of the potential of interconnections between Ukraine and European countries was emphasized, which allows to attract electricity from partner countries to balance the energy system.
Today's meeting also focused on coordinating international cooperation to increase pressure on Russia and oust the aggressor country from global energy markets. In particular, the European Commissioner and the Ukrainian Minister discussed the termination of the contract for the transit of Russian gas to Europe at the end of this year. "The EU has been preparing for this for two years. We know that Russia is an unreliable gas supplier," the European Commissioner emphasized, recalling that Russia has repeatedly manipulated prices on the gas market.
The EU Commissioner also announced the European Commission's intention to introduce a new package of sanctions against Russia.
Minister Galushchenko added: "Sanctions should deprive Russia of the opportunity to be any player in the world markets.
The meeting also focused on the future integration of Ukrainian energy markets into the European one and the relevant regulatory and legal preparations.
I am pleased to welcome Kadri Simson to Kyiv. Her tremendous efforts are key to supporting the Ukrainian energy system. We discussed plans to recover from the Russian energy terrorist attacks. We agreed to develop decentralized generation, maintain sanctions pressure on Russia and mobilize international support