Europe and US donate €106.6m to DTEK as Russia continues grid assaults
Image courtesy DTEK
As Russia continues to pummel Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Europe and the US have announced a donation of €106.6 million ($112 million) in equipment and building materials for energy company DTEK to restore and enhance power grid operations.
The European Commission is donating €62.8 million ($65.8 million) for equipment and materials to restore 1.8GW of generating capacity, as well as to protect power plant equipment from snow, rain and sub-zero temperatures.
The US Government is providing $46.1 million (€44 million) to purchase control systems and dozens of new transformers critical to energy supplies for millions of people. Through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US has already provided DTEK with important equipment for grids teams, including cherry picker (bucket) trucks, pickups, transformers and electrical wire.
Commenting in a release was ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, assistant secretary for Energy Resources, US Department of State: “The United States is proud to support Ukraine’s energy resilience with this critical aid package. By providing $46.1 million for control systems and new transformers, we are helping to rebuild and fortify Ukraine’s energy infrastructure against Russia’s unprovoked attacks.”
Maxim Timchenko, CEO of DTEK, added: “We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of the United States and the European Commission, and the leadership of the Ministry of Energy in delivering this vital aid.
“No country in modern times has faced such an onslaught against its energy system, but with the help of our partners, we continue to stand strong against Russia’s energy terror. This support is an acknowledgment of DTEK’s systemically important role in keeping Ukraine powered and our rapid efforts to restore thousands of megawatts of electricity.”
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Continued power grid barrages
The funding for DTEK comes as Russia continues to utilise drones and missiles in their attacks on Ukraine, including the power grid as a strategic target.
The latest wave saw attacks cut off electricity supply in Ternopil, a city in Ternopil Oblast in Western Ukraine, cutting off electricity supply, water and heating.
Ternopil Oblenergo, which provides electricity to the Ternopil Oblast, reported the attacks in a Facebook statement, saying that due to a massive drone attack on energy infrastructure, network restrictions had to be implemented.
According to Serhiy Nadal, head of the Ternopil Region Defence Council headquarters, on his Telegram messaging channel, restoration work has been underway across damaged infrastructure.
Prior to the attack in Ternopil, a wave of attacks, reports Reuters, saw Russian missiles damage residential buildings in Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkiv and Odesa in the south, as a blizzard of drones caused temporary power cuts in the Mykolaiv region and targeted the capital Kyiv.
The overnight drone attack targeted energy infrastructure, causing power cuts while industrial facilities in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region were also struck.
The various assaults have been intensifying the conflict in the country, with attacks on November 17th prompting warnings from experts of potential nuclear disaster.
Specifically, independent UN human rights experts warned yesterday of the escalating risk of nuclear disaster in Ukraine following Russia’s continued attacks on the country’s electrical infrastructure.
“The latest large-scale Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s electricity system has led to further significant damage to electric substations that are essential to the operation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants,” the experts emphasised in a UN-issued statement.
Prior to the war in Ukraine, DTEK produced around a quarter of the nation’s electricity. Repeated attacks up to mid-summer have seen 90% of the company’s generation capacity destroyed, although energy workers have restored over half the lost capacity.
