Good morning everyone,
And a very warm welcome to you, Fatih Birol. Let me thank you and the International Energy Agency for the excellent cooperation we have developed over the years. In recent and mostly difficult times, we have always been able to rely on each other. I am very much looking forward to working with you another five years.
In one month, we will mark 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 1,000 days of absolute cruelty from the Kremlin. Since the beginning, they have been targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to try and plunge the country in the dark. Half of all the country’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed. This is approximately the equivalent of the capacity of the three Baltic States together. So it gives you an idea of the brutality of these attacks.
And just two weeks ago, on 26 August, more than 230 missiles were launched during a 12-hour attack. They were directed at power stations, substations and other key infrastructure. Millions of Ukrainians were left without electricity for several hours. As Ukraine’s friends and partners, we must do all we can to keep the lights on. And as winter is approaching, we must keep the brave people of Ukraine warm, while we are also keeping the economy running.
The objective is to address the immediate needs of the population while we make Ukraine’s energy system more resilient in the long term. Overall, Ukraine needs 17 gigawatts of power capacity for this winter. So today, I want to propose action in three areas: repair, connect and stabilise.
Let us first have a look at the element repair: 80% of Ukraine’s thermal plants have been destroyed, and a third of its hydropower capacity. So this is where we will concentrate our repair efforts, with the aim of restoring 2.5 gigawatts of capacity this winter. That is approximately 15% of Ukraine’s needs.
And we will continue coordinating all possible support from our Member States, through the Civil Protection Mechanism. So far, we have managed to send more than 10,000 power generators and transformers, and more help is coming. As we speak, there is a full thermal power plant that is being dismantled in Lithuania and shipped piece by piece to Ukraine, with our support, and then rebuilt in Ukraine. This shows the great length of the European Union’s and Member States’ willingness to support Ukraine.
The second element to help cover Ukraine’s needs for the winter is the export of electricity – we call it Connect.
You might recall – the synchronisation of Ukraine’s grid with ours that we had started in February 2022, just as Russia’s war broke out. Back then, we had planned to do this connection of Ukraine’s grid with the European grid over the next two years. But when Russia attacked, we did all we could to speed up this process. And instead of two years, Ukraine’s grid was connected to the European one in two weeks. This allows us now to export the much-needed power to Ukraine. We export 2 gigawatts of electricity to Ukraine, which also covers roughly 12% of the country’s needs for the winter.
It compensates for example the equivalent of the loss of power generation from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, that is, as you know, now under illegal Russian control. So all in all – with our two pillars, repair and connect, we cover over 25% of Ukraine’s needs for the winter. The big bulk has of course to be produced in Ukraine.
My third point is on our work to stabilise the flow of energy in the country. We are boosting decentralised production of energy. This includes rolling out more renewables in the country. As you know, solar panels on rooftops are harder to hit and easier to repair than large central infrastructure. And while it helps secure a steadier flow of energy in the country, it also pushes forward Ukraine’s energy independence and the clean transition. We are for example dispatching solar panels to 21 hospitals in the country to ensure continued energy supply.
Eight of them should be fully equipped by this winter. We are also sharing expertise and working together with Ukraine on cyber awareness and cybersecurity to make their energy system more resilient.
These three objectives – repair, connect and stabilise – require significant financial support. Overall, we estimate that our support to Ukraine’s energy security since February 2022 amounts to at least EUR 2 billion. And that is a low estimate, because it does not take into account all in-kind donations. And today, I can announce that we will make an additional amount of close to EUR 160 million available for this winter. This includes EUR 60 million in humanitarian aid – for shelters and heaters for example – and it includes around EUR 100 million for repair works and renewables. These EUR 100 million come from the proceeds of immobilised Russian assets in the European Union. Because it is only right that Russia pays for the destruction it caused. We know more is needed. So we must keep transferring part of the proceeds from immobilised Russian assets to Ukraine’s energy resilience.
In two weeks’ time, the heating season starts. As temperatures are dropping, the European Union is ready to step up its support to Ukraine. We are preparing for the winter together. After this press conference, I will be travelling to Kyiv to discuss these matters in person with President Zelenskyy tomorrow. In our efforts to help Ukraine, I am very glad that I can count on the continued support of the International Energy Agency.
Source – EU Commission
10 key energy actions that can help safeguard Ukraine’s fragile energy security through the coming winter and beyond
News
19 September 2024
Evening aerial view to residential area Zhuravlivka in Kharkiv with snow, Ukraine
With Ukrainian energy infrastructure under huge strain, IEA report outlines immediate steps for country and its partners to tackle vulnerabilities as temperatures drop
A step change in the intensity of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector has created serious risks as winter approaches – requiring swift action and additional support to ensure Ukrainian citizens have reliable access to power and heating through the coming months, according to a new report from the IEA.
The report, Ukraine’s Energy Security and the Coming Winter, proposes 10 immediate actions that Ukraine and its partners can take to address the country’s urgent energy security vulnerabilities and bolster longer-term energy resilience.
Ukraine’s energy system has endured two successive winters since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. But following a significant escalation of attacks since spring 2024 on power plants, heat plants, transmission networks and more, the country’s energy infrastructure is under huge strain.
Even before an unprecedented wave of attacks in late August, more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s pre-war power generation capacity was not available because it was destroyed, damaged or under occupation. Over the summer, rolling blackouts and other unscheduled interruptions to supply became the norm, with knock-on effects for all aspects of daily life, including water supplies.
Yet the situation could become even more dire as the days get shorter and colder. According to the report, a yawning gap between available electricity supply and peak demand risks emerging – bringing the threat of even more severe disruptions to hospitals, schools and other key institutions in the depths of winter. Heat supply to Ukraine’s major cities is also at risk, and lower-than-average temperatures could strain domestic supplies of natural gas.
The report sets out 10 key energy measures that Ukraine and its international partners can take to tackle these risks while reducing future vulnerabilities. These include bolstering the physical and cyber security of critical energy infrastructure, expediting the delivery of equipment and spare parts for repairs, accelerating the decentralisation of power supply, investing in energy efficiency, and increasing the capacity to import electricity and gas from the European Union.
The report stresses that while the recommended actions are immediate, they should, where possible, be designed in ways that lay the groundwork for a modern, resilient and sustainable energy system that is integrated with Europe – in line with the long-term energy goals Ukraine has set out.
“The situation in Ukraine is one of the most pressing energy security issues in the world today. Ukraine’s energy system has made it through the past two winters thanks to the resilience, courage and ingenuity of its people and strong solidarity from its international partners. But this winter will be, by far, its sternest test yet,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, who is launching the report today at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels. “The actions laid out in this report, if implemented swiftly and effectively, could make a major difference. And they would put Ukraine on a path towards a sturdier and more sustainable energy future – the one its people deserve.”
The coming winter could also be destabilising for Moldova, according to the report. While not subject to the same physical risks from Russian shelling, the country gets most of its electricity from a plant in the breakaway, Russia-backed region of Transnistria. Gas supply to that plant is set to move to a new footing and a new route once transit arrangements through Ukraine expire in January. The report calls for a coordinated approach to ensure the energy security of both countries given their strong energy links.
Ukraine joined the IEA Family as an Association country in 2022, following many years of cooperation on energy issues. Recent collaboration has focused on common priorities such as energy system reconstruction, energy security and accelerating clean energy transitions – expanding on activities carried out via the EU4Energy Programme.
In the past 18 months, the IEA has hosted five workshops with energy system stakeholders in Ukraine, including three in the capital, Kyiv. These events have covered topics such as building power sector resilience, deploying decentralised energy resources and energy modelling.
Source – IEA
