Following an appeal by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Energy Community Council of Ministers adopted a decision allowing Ukraine to continue operating large combustion plants included in the National Plan for the Reduction of Emissions from Large Combustion Plants for the duration of martial law, but no later than 31 December 2028.
The decision was adopted at the 23rd meeting of the Energy Community Ministerial Council, held in Vienna, Austria. Ukraine was represented at the meeting by Deputy Minister of Energy Mykola Kolisnyk.
In his address, the Deputy Minister emphasized that Ukraine’s energy infrastructure remains under constant Russian attacks, which have caused significant damage to generating units and other critical energy facilities.
Ukraine remains fully committed to harmonizing its national legislation with the legal framework of the European Union. However, Russia’s large-scale armed aggression has created force majeure circumstances that have severely affected the implementation of the National Plan for the Reduction of Emissions from Large Combustion Plants. The situation is further aggravated by substantial losses of electricity generation capacity.
“Our main priority today is to utilize all available generation capacity, as each unit is critical to maintaining electricity and heat supply for the population and preventing a humanitarian crisis. The enemy continues to carry out massive attacks on both electricity transmission and generation facilities. Under these circumstances, we are grateful to the Energy Community Council of Ministers for supporting the decision to extend the operation of large combustion plants in Ukraine for the period of martial law, but no later than 31 December 2028,” Mykola Kolisnyk stated.
The decision ensures the reliability and balance of the power system and the uninterrupted production of electricity and heat for critical and social infrastructure facilities, particularly during the 2025–2026 heating season and amid ongoing enemy attacks on energy assets. It allows operators of large combustion plants to avoid the premature shutdown of individual power units at thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants, while also having a positive impact on the market environment, the adequacy of generation capacity, and the strengthening of Ukraine’s energy security.
In addition, following the meeting of the Energy Community Council of Ministers, a decision was taken to extend the application of the EU Gas Storage Regulation. This decision aims to maintain security of gas supply and ensure sufficient storage levels, while providing a degree of flexibility during the gas storage filling season. Such flexibility is intended to enable a prompt response to changing market conditions and, in particular, to take advantage of favorable purchasing opportunities in order to reduce gas prices in Europe.
