During a working visit to Seattle, USA, Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko took part in a roundtable discussion with representatives of the Business Council for International Understanding and leading American companies.

The Minister of Energy briefed the meeting participants on the consequences of russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and the current state of the energy system.

“About 50% of our energy facilities have been attacked. The World Bank estimates the losses in the energy sector at around USD 11 billion, and this is only a preliminary estimate, as the enemy continues to target energy infrastructure. We are carrying out restoration work and are striving not only to rebuild the energy sector, but also to turn Ukraine into a modern European energy hub,” he said.

According to German Galushchenko, the Government is implementing a policy of decentralising generation to strengthen the resilience and stability of the power system. The tools for achieving these goals include increasing the capacity of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, and the use of gas turbines. An important area is also the introduction of energy storage technologies, which will allow the integration of more renewable energy sources into the Ukrainian energy system.

He added that Ukraine needed high-voltage equipment, much of which had been damaged by russian shelling, and highlighted the potential for manufacturing such equipment in Ukraine.

The Minister also stressed the prospects for cooperation in gas production, gas storage, development of hydrogen technologies, small modular reactors and smart grids.

German Galushchenko invited American companies to cooperation in these areas.