On December 27, 2022, the Minister of Energy of Ukraine met with the heads of diplomatic missions of the Group of Seven and the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

During the meeting, German Galushchenko informed participants about the current situation in the energy sector, damage to energy infrastructure as a result of russian shelling, and the urgent needs of the sector.

First of all, it is high-voltage equipment, in particular autotransformers. Many of them were damaged during attacks. Powerful generators are also needed, as they, among other things, ensure stable gas production in Ukrainian fields.

The list of urgent needs of energy companies also includes special equipment and transport for repairs at energy facilities.

Besides, the Minister drew attention of the G7 ambassadors to the situation at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and blatant violation of nuclear and radiation safety by the occupiers.

Fake management has been appointed at the plant, that works without any licenses and permits, and representatives of Rosatom are illegally present there. At the same time, the occupiers are constantly putting pressure on Ukrainian personnel, trying to force employees to sign contracts with a fake JSC Zaporozhskaya AES, managed by Rosatom.

The head of the Ukrainian energy ministry noted that negotiations on establishment of a demilitarized zone around Zaporizhzhya NPP are ongoing under the auspices of the IAEA. Ukraine’s position on this issue remains unchanged: russian military together with weapons and representatives of Rosatom should leave the station.

German Galushchenko emphasized the key role of solidarity of world leaders in countering russian nuclear terrorism, in particular in the readiness to impose sanctions against the nuclear industry of the russian federation and refusal from russian nuclear fuel: “It is very important today to give a signal of readiness to refuse from it after a specific period of time. It is possible. Other producers can increase their production volumes to replace russian nuclear fuel.”

Also during the meeting, the participants discussed the prospects of electricity imports to Ukraine from the EU countries. The Minister stressed that there are restrictions for imports at the level of 600 MW in the daytime and 700 MW at night. However, currently there is a technical possibility to significantly increase this volume.