Dainius Kreivys: we must help Ukraine survive this winter
“International efforts to rebuild the energy infrastructure are very important, but the most effective help would be to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself”, said Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys today and tomorrow at the Rebuild Ukraine: Construction and Energy conference in Warsaw.
The Minister gave a speech at the opening session and took part in a high-level discussion on strategic priorities for Ukraine’s energy transformation and recovery.
According to Mr. Kreivys, air defence would protect Ukraine’s energy production facilities from drones and bombs, while long-range missiles would allow the destruction of airfields and military bases from which drones and bombs fly. “Let’s keep this in mind when designing the next aid package,” said Mr. Kreivys.
Minister Dainius Kreivys also met with Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko to discuss Lithuania’s support for Ukraine’s energy sector.
Lithuania has already provided EUR 67 million in support to Ukraine’s energy sector. Lithuania is the largest supplier of electricity generators and transformers to Ukraine. It has dismantled and donated an entire thermal power plant, and is supplying solar panels to ensure the safe operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in the event of a loss of power. An additional equipment package including equipment and transformers for the nuclear power plants is currently being prepared for an additional EUR 5 million.
Mr. Kreivys also stressed that the geopolitical situation in the region makes energy security one of the top priorities not only for Ukraine, but also for all countries in the region. He said that it is essential to ensure the protection of our energy infrastructure and its resilience to physical, hybrid and cyber threats. “Drone protection systems at critical infrastructure facilities, physical barriers to limit the damage caused by explosions at key substations, equipment and material reserves; the development of isolated micro-grids should become the standard for energy infrastructure protection and risk management in peacetime. This is one of the key lessons we have learned from Ukraine,” said Mr. Kreivys.
In his speech, Dainius Kreivys also called on the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission (EC) to unite international efforts in implementing the IEA’s 10-action plan to help Ukraine meet its energy needs. The 10-action plan is set out in the IEA Special Report “Ukraine’s Energy Security and the Coming Winter”. To ensure the continuity of the IEA’s work with Ukraine when the joint IEA-Ukraine work programme expires at the end of this year, Lithuania has launched the “Friends of Ukraine” initiative within the IEA, which currently brings together more than 20 strategic partners from abroad, including the US, Canada, Japan, Norway, a number of EU Member States and the European Commission. The new programme is expected to be more comprehensive and to provide a long-term perspective to help Ukraine to ensure its energy security during this winter season and in the medium term.
According to the conference organisers, since the start of the war, Ukraine has lost more than 9 GW of electricity generation capacity due to missile and drone attacks by the Russian military forces alone. These attacks have intensified recently, mainly targeting renewable energy infrastructure, in particular large solar power plants. As a result, the Ukrainian population experiences daily power outages lasting 7-10 hours, which can increase to 15-20 hours in winter. In response, Ukraine is decentralising energy production. “The most important task now is to help the people of Ukraine survive this winter. In the long term, we need to help build a modern, resilient and sustainable energy system in Ukraine,” Mr. Kreivys stressed at the session.
The Rebuild Ukraine conference is organised for the fourth time by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, bringing together political leaders from the energy sector in donor countries, as well as representatives of donor organisations, energy companies and consultancies. The aim is to attract international funding and private sector investment to Ukraine’s war-torn energy sector.
Last updated: 14-11-2024
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