Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Ukraine Helene Sand Andresen. The key topic of the discussion was the Norwegian assistance in restoring Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after the russian attacks.
The head of the Ministry of Energy informed the Ambassador about the difficult situation in the energy system and the loss of about 8 GW of capacity as a result of hostile attacks.
“The russians are trying to completely destroy our peaking capacities – thermal and hydro generation. Imports currently do not cover the needs that have increased, in particular due to the cold weather. The situation may be even more difficult in winter, as it is clear that the attacks will not stop. That is why we are carrying out repairs and working to increase the capacity of distributed generation locally,” said German Galushchenko.
The Minister thanked Norway for the support already provided to the Ukrainian energy sector, namely 42 cargoes of humanitarian aid weighing over 450 tonnes, including power and current transformers, power generators, special equipment, cables and other equipment required for repair and restoration works.
The parties discussed the current needs of the energy sector for equipment for restoration works, as well as the mechanisms for purchasing the necessary equipment through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Particular attention was paid to the need for gas turbines, gas piston units and powerful generators to increase the capacity of distributed generation for the next heating season.
According to Helene Sand Andresen, Norway will continue to provide assistance to the Ukrainian energy sector, and is currently exploring additional opportunities to help in the current difficult situation and in preparing for the winter.
German Galushchenko thanked Norway for its active participation in the working group “Presidential Peace Formula: Radiation and Nuclear Safety” and for supporting Ukraine’s position on the need to de-occupy the ZNPP at international platforms, including the IAEA. The parties also discussed the activities of the Norwegian-Ukrainian Commission on Trade, Business and Economic Cooperation, of which German Galushchenko was recently appointed co-chair on the Ukrainian side.