EU ambassador to Ukraine discusses plans to assist country with electricity

The European Union plans to increase electricity export capacity to Ukraine and provide equipment to support the battered Ukrainian energy system during the cold season.

Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, said in an interview with European Pravda that preparations for measures to assist Ukraine have been ongoing for several months.

"First of all, there are active discussions with ENTSO-E, which is the operators of the European continental grid, to which Ukraine and Moldova are connected, about increasing the capacity of the interconnection," Mathernová said.

The ambassador clarified that this is not about expanding the export lines, but rather increasing the regulatory limit for them, which is currently set at 1.7 gigawatts, even though it is technically possible to receive more than two gigawatts. 

Additionally, the EU has allocated €200 million in grants for Ukraine.

"Half of [these funds will go] through the Energy Community Secretariat in Vienna and half of it [will go] through [the German institution] KFW. One [part] to support the Ukrenergo, the Ukrainian grid operator, and one – for the repair of the thermal power plants. Because that’s where you can get the highest amount of gigawatts in the quickest amount of time. And a little bit [will be used for the] repair of renewable energy sources," Mathernová explained.

She also reiterated that large energy equipment is being supplied to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, not only from member states but also from other partners. The EU is organising and covering the logistics. The ambassador added that Ukraine has already received over 1,000 large industrial generators through this mechanism.

Mathernová said that the EU is currently helping to deliver large turbines to Ukraine, which will also aid the country in preparing for winter.

She emphasised that the current preparations for winter highlight the importance for Ukraine to invest in distributed, decentralised energy sources throughout the country, making small-scale generation a priority. This means engaging local communities and businesses in the process.

"This is not something that only big energy companies and the state can invest in, you can have businesses from other sectors actually investing in local production. And in the mix of production, you can have [energy produced from the] biomass, geothermal [energy] with battery storage and renewable energy. You can have a mixture of different sources and that typically is more resilient," she concluded.

Katarína Mathernová believes that Ukraine, with its energy system damaged by Russian attacks, will face a difficult winter, but the situation will not be catastrophic.

Watch the full interview with Katarína Mathernová about winter preparations in Ukraine, funding for weapons, and the country's EU membership