During a working visit of a Ukrainian delegation to Vienna, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine for European Integration Yaroslav Demchenkov met with Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Austria Werner Kogler.

During the meeting the parties discussed the situation in the energy sector of Ukraine and the importance of providing prompt assistance to energy companies for repair works.

In the course of the meeting, Werner Kogler informed that Austria would allocate EUR 5 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund established by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine with the Energy Community Secretariat in order to accumulate donor funds for the purchase of necessary equipment for Ukrainian energy companies.

This is the first stage of financial assistance, and along with the equipment that has already been delivered and will be delivered to Ukraine, it will significantly enhance the ability of energy companies to repair infrastructure facilities.

The Vice-Chancellor expressed support for Ukraine and emphasized that he was impressed by the courage of Ukrainians and professionalism of power engineers who tirelessly repair damaged facilities after massive shelling.

“Ukrainian power engineers are working round the clock to restore electricity supply in the country. We are very grateful to our partners for their financial and material support. However, our needs for equipment are growing every week. We are considering all options for the fastest possible supply of equipment and materials for the restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” said the Deputy Minister.

Yaroslav Demchenkov also took part in a panel discussion titled “Rebuilding Ukraine: Energy and Green Technologies” at an Austrian-Ukrainian forum, met with the leadership of an association of Austrian industrialists and members of the Energy Committee of the Austrian Parliament.

The Deputy Minister stressed the need to consolidate political forces in Europe and businesses to support Ukraine and rebuild its energy system.

During the events, Yaroslav Demchenkov also stressed that the collective efforts of all European countries are essential to ensure security of the continent, given the acts of nuclear terrorism, to which russia has been resorting for more than 9 months, and massive attacks on civilian critical infrastructure.

“Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, remains under russian occupation. They have turned it into a military base and conduct shelling from the plant. Several blackouts have already occurred at the plant. Every day of ZNPP occupation is a step towards Fukushima-level disaster. The entire civilized world must unite to repel the nuclear terrorist,” the Deputy Minister said.

He also focused on the issues of post-war reconstruction of the energy sector of Ukraine and opportunities for Austrian businesses. Representatives of Austrian companies focused on the renewable energy sector, in particular wind and bioenergy, and the use of Ukrainian gas storage facilities. Austria plans to abandon the use of carbon energy sources by 2040, and hydrogen produced in Ukraine is considered by Austrian businesses as the best alternative for substitution.

During the visit to Vienna, the Ukrainian delegation also held meetings with the leadership of the Energy Community Secretariat, heads of delegations of the European Commission and a number of Energy Community Contracting Parties, who arrived to participate in the meeting of the Energy Community Ministerial Council.