Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Svitlana Hrynchuk met with a delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) headed by Senior Vice President Shohei Hara.

Svitlana Hrynchuk thanked Japan for the assistance provided to Ukraine’s energy sector and stressed its special importance in preparing for the next heating season, which will be difficult given the damage to the energy system caused by russia’s massive targeted hostile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

The meeting focused on the need to increase the capacity of distributed generation in order to increase energy independence. The Japanese side confirmed its readiness to provide Ukraine with relevant equipment, in particular for the needs of Kharkiv region, which is regularly subjected to enemy shelling and has a rather critical situation with energy supply.

JICA representatives assured that the energy sector was a priority area for Japan’s assistance to Ukraine, as energy is the basis for the functioning and development of the country’s economy. In particular, they emphasised their readiness to continue supplying Ukraine with essential energy equipment and providing financial support.

Special attention was paid to ensuring physical protection and cybersecurity of energy facilities.