The Slovak state-owned operator SEPS will provide electricity supplies to Ukraine as part of emergency assistance under the current contract with Ukrenergo, Czech media outlet iRozhlas writes in response to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s threats to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine.
“Analyst Józef Badida told the Slovak newspaper Pravda that artificially limiting electricity supplies from Slovakia abroad would most likely violate European and Slovak legislation. Former Slovak Minister of Economy Karel Hirman previously stated that electricity is sold to Ukraine by traders, not the state. He argued that if electricity supplies to Ukraine were cut off, Slovakia would be drawn into a conflict within the EU,” the publication writes.
It is also noted that in the spring of 2024, SEPS extended the contract for another 12 months, under which it can supply up to 150 MW of electricity to Ukraine as part of emergency assistance. “In the first 11 months of last year, net electricity exports from Slovakia to Ukraine reached 2.43 terawatt-hours, which is three and a half times higher than in the same period in 2023,” the report says.
As reported earlier, in response to Ukraine’s decision to stop the transit of Russian gas, some of which goes to Slovakia, Slovak Prime Minister Fico threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Ukraine. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that “it seems that Putin has instructed Fico to open a second energy front against Ukraine at the expense of the interests of the people of Slovakia.” Poland expressed its readiness to increase electricity supplies to Ukraine following the Slovak prime minister’s comments.
In December 2024, Ukraine’s electricity imports increased by 2.7 times compared to November, to 433.4 thousand MWh, while exports fell by 6.1 times, to 6.8 thousand MWh. Thus, electricity imports in December-2024 exceeded exports by 63.7 times. Most electricity was imported from Hungary – 152.33 thousand MWh (35.16%). This was followed by Slovakia – 107.08 thousand MWh (24.71%), Poland – 91.98 thousand MWh (21.23%), Romania – 70.78 thousand MWh (16.34%), and Moldova – 11.12 thousand MWh (2.57%).
