The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to provide NEC Ukrenergo with a state-guaranteed loan of up to EUR90 million for the reconstruction of selected substations in the country.
“It is expected that the loan, if possible, will be co-financed by investment grants from international donors totaling up to EUR60 million for the purchase of reserve stocks of electrical equipment and equipment for inter-system connections,” the bank said in a statement on its website.
The project is currently awaiting approval by the bank’s board.
As explained by the EBRD, the goal of the project, with a total cost of EUR 150 million (EUR 90 million + EUR 60 million), is to increase the resilience of the power transmission system in the face of constant attacks to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the population and businesses throughout the country.
In particular, the current loan will be used to reconstruct three existing substations and complete the construction of one new substation in Ukraine, which was started as part of a project financed by the bank in 2014.
The reconstruction of the three existing substations and the completion of the new substation will be carried out in accordance with international best practice, using equipment that meets EU requirements. Some of the damaged or destroyed equipment will be replaced.
Currently, the new substation with 330 kV overhead power lines is being built at the stage of already laid foundations using EBRD loan funds saved as part of the project to build the 750 kV Zaporizhzhya NPP – Kakhovka power line.
As the EBRD recalled, since February 2022, the bank has provided Ukrenergo with three loans as part of its ongoing support, including emergency capital support and emergency investments aimed at restoring the power transmission network after serious damage caused by the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
According to the EBRD, Ukrenergo has provided the bank with satisfactory reporting on these loans, as well as generally satisfactory reporting in the past. It has the national capacity to implement the bank’s environmental and social requirements (ESR), as well as national and European legislation. The company is strengthening its ESG management system, including inclusive measures, to help it report on sustainability issues in the future in accordance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
As reported with reference to Maxim Khlapuk, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s energy committee, as of June 2025, the total amount of credit funds under agreements between Ukrenergo and the EBRD, as well as the European Investment Bank (EIB), amounted to EUR1.22 billion, of which EUR 215.5 million remained unutilized, and with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) – $509.74 million, of which $54.87 million remained unutilized.
In addition, under two grant agreements between Ukraine and the IBRD for EUR 37.7 million and $200 million, EUR 18.9 million and $134.5 million remained unutilized, respectively.
EBRD, LOAN, POWER GRID, RECONSTRUCTION, SUBSTATION, UKRENERGO
