First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal took part in a meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, chaired by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The agenda focused, in particular, on strengthening the resilience of the power system and preparing the country for the next heating season.
Within this framework, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine will concentrate its efforts on the following areas:
1. Assistance to companies in restoring equipment and core generation facilities destroyed by Russia.
2. Construction of second-level protection at electricity transmission and gas supply facilities.
3. Establishment of an equipment reserve.
“Work with international partners continues not only to address current needs but also to build a threefold reserve of equipment. Financing, expedited procurement procedures, and stockpiling will be key topics at the upcoming Energy ‘Ramstein’ meeting,” Denys Shmyhal stated.
4. Development of distributed generation.
Relevant tasks have been assigned to local administrations and communities, with state-owned companies actively involved in the process. The current project for 2026 provides for 392 MW to be developed by Naftogaz of Ukraine and 92 MW by the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine.
5. Injection of gas into underground storage facilities (UGS).
“The target is at least 13 billion cubic metres. In terms of available gas volumes, we are passing this heating season with confidence,” the Minister of Energy added.
The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Ukraine have instructed the leadership of the Ministry of Energy to address, at the next Energy ‘Ramstein’ meeting, the mobilisation of more than €5 billion to prepare Ukraine for the upcoming heating season.
The Ministry of Energy, jointly with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, is already working on the restoration of thermal power plants (TPPs) and combined heat and power plants (CHPs) damaged by Russian attacks.
Denys Shmyhal noted that during the previous Energy ‘Ramstein’ meeting, agreements were reached with partners regarding the transfer to Ukraine of equipment from decommissioned European power plants.
Ukrainian technical commissions have already visited Latvia, Austria, and Germany. In Latvia, the Riga CHP plant has already been decommissioned and is subject to dismantling. Units from the plant will be delivered to Ukraine to support the repair of a number of CHPs.
“In addition, Ukrainian specialists are currently inspecting two coal-fired power plants in Germany and two combined heat and power plants in Austria. Several other Eastern European countries are also prepared to provide decommissioned coal- or gas-fired plants to Ukraine. This equipment will be used for the rapid restoration of Ukrainian energy facilities,” emphasized the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine – Minister of Energy.
