Ukraine's energy independence, as well as the efficient use of energy resources, is the mission of all levels of government that must be carried out daily.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman announced during the Forum From Energy Efficiency to Energy Independence, which is taking place today, March 12, in Kyiv. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is also taking part in the event.

"Our energy independence is the mission that we must carry out on a daily basis, keeping in mind that we are subjected to constant attacks by the enemy. Energy independence is critically important because power industry has always been a kind of hybrid weapon against Ukraine. And now we are well aware that the reaffirming of energy independence is in our hands", said Volodymyr Groysman.

According to the PM, the new possibilities for the accomplishment of the set tasks were provided by a decentralization reform, which enabled for the transfer of resources to the communities to improve the quality of life. And over the years of reforming the communities better realize how to use these opportunities. An example is tariffs and the state of utility networks.

"It used to be hurt to find out that from the sum UAH 12.5 billion allocated for preparation for the heating season, only UAH 3 billion were directed for energy modernization", said Volodymyr Groysman. "If we invest in energy efficiency, we will be able to achieve a new quality of services, while for the people they will become more available. Therefore, it is vital for us to invest more in energy efficiency, energy independence, cease the reliance on standard costs. I call on everyone: let's shape the policy in such a way as to achieve energy efficiency and energy sufficiency. Therefore we will reach high standards of living. I am talking about real things".

The Head of Government noted that it is crucial nowadays to foster a culture of responsibility, realism and openness - in contrast to the mistakes of a new history that led to the fact that by 2014 Ukraine had had an ineffective system of management and allocation of resources.

"What is an independent state? This is a state with a sound economy, a strong army, high standards of living. This is the state that appears a key player in the region and in the world. These are our priorities on the agenda. The objectives that are of paramount importance. These are neither slogans nor statements - these are concrete steps having taken since 2014. We have made our choice - European and Euro-Atlantic integration. Our heart is with a large and advanced Europe", stressed Volodymyr Groysman. "We can cast away the irresponsibility and disrespect shown off by certain politicians by means of the foul play over sensitive issues. I wish us a shared success and true independence, thereby achieving our common goal".

Background

As compared to 2014, the consumption of gas by budget institutions, district heating providers and the population has significantly decreased. In particular, in 2018, a reduction made up 24%. In absolute figures, the consumption, against the showings of 2014, was cut by 6 billion cubic meters.

Over 4 years (2014-2018), new facilities with a capacity of 2.2 GW generating heat from alternative fuels have been introduced. Investment worth more than EUR 500 million was leveraged in the aforesaid facilities. Moreover, over the past 4 years, 525,000 families benefited from the Warm Loans program and invested about UAH 7 billion in energy efficiency measures. In addition, the year of 2018 was a record for condominiums. 1,600 condominiums used the Warm Loans program to the tune of about UAH 470 million.