Page 13 - EurOil Week 46 2022

EurOil POLICY EurOil

EU to ramp up support for Ukraine's energy

sector following massive Russian attack

EU THE European Union will ramp up its support hit over the last month by Russia missiles, result-
for Ukraine in the wake of the largest Russian ing in the injury of 22 of its engineers and three
More than 90 missiles attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Inter- deaths. However, there were no casualties in the
destroyed 15 energy fax Ukraine reported on November 16. latest attack, Interfax Ukraine reported.
facilities on November The tidal wave of strikes on Tuesday, Novem- "After the shelling ended, the company's
15. ber 15, saw over 90 missiles destroying 15 energy employees quickly began to eliminate the conse-
facilities and killing one man in Kyiv. Ukrenergo, quences and resume the operation of the equip-
Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, was forced ment. DTEK Energy employees continue doing
to act immediately and introduced emergency everything possible to support the reliable opera-
blackouts across the entire country to stabilise tion of the Ukrainian power system in the face of
the power system’s operation. Ukrainian Presi- missile attacks, synchronising their actions with
dent Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that 10mn citi- NPC Ukrenergo," the company said.
zens had lost power as a result, prompting the EU Zelenskiy confirmed on Twitter that engi-
to express further support for Ukraine’s energy neers continued to work throughout the night
sector. and were able to restore power to 8mn people.
“Russian attacks on civilian energy infra- The strikes left over half of Kyiv’s population
structure in Ukraine are inhumane & have left without electricity and 80% of Lviv’s residents
10 million people without energy,” tweeted with no access to heat and hot water.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Sim- Ukraine’s air defence systems successfully
son. “As Russia ramps up its aggression, the EU shot down 70 missiles. However, alarm bells
ramps up its support. Had a co-ordination call rang after a missile exploded in Poland, killing
with Ukrainian and EU ministers this morning, two civilians. Although initially thought to have
grateful to UK & Norway for joining.” been fired from Russia, Polish President Andrzej
Ukraine needs €300mn to repair its damaged Duda said it was “highly likely” to have been a
energy infrastructure, according to the head of Ukrainian missile. It is believed that the missile
the parliamentary committee on European inte- came from a Ukrainian air defence system which
gration, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukraine had missed its target and landed in the Polish
Business News reported. With temperatures border town.
plummeting as winter approaches, Ukraine Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
urgently needs to purchase equipment such as suggested an urgent Nato summit in response to
transformers and generators, and fuel supplies. the explosion in Poland and called for further
European partners and the Energy Com- air defence for Ukraine. He requested modern
munity established the Energy Support Fund aircraft including the F-15 and F-16 as well as air
in April to finance the reconstruction of critical defence systems in order to “intercept any Rus-
Ukrainian infrastructure. Already the fund has sian missiles”, Interfax Ukraine reported.
raised tens of millions. If the situation deterio- Poland initially had hinted that it would
rates further, then the EU will also have to sup- launch consultations with Nato allies under the
ply the Ukrainian power grid with the minimum alliance’s Article 4, but this was no longer neces-
flow of electricity. Already, Ukraine has been sary, “at least for now”, Prime Minister Mateusz
testing electricity imports from the bloc last Morawiecki told the press briefing he held jointly
month in preparation. with President Duda.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private power pro- The missile reportedly killed two men, a
ducer, stated that it had yet again suffered sig- worker in a local grain-drying facility and a truck
nificant damage due to the attacks. Facilities driver who brought grain to the facility, Polish
belonging to the company have been repeatedly media report. ™

Week 46 21•November•2022 www. NEWSBASE .com P13