The Netherlands has increased its total financial assistance to Ukraine through the Energy Support Fund to EUR100 million, allocating additional funds to strengthen energy resilience and support critical infrastructure, according to First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.
“The Netherlands has increased its total assistance provided through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to EUR 100 million. The Netherlands will allocate an additional EUR 35 million,” according to a statement posted on social media.
The purpose of the additional funding is to ensure a stable power supply to critical infrastructure facilities after Russian attacks, in particular by installing solar power plants on the roofs of buildings as part of the “Ray of Hope” initiative.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and one of the European countries will provide Ukraine with EUR85 million for the purchase of additional gas volumes, First Deputy Prime Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal said.
“EUR 85 million through EBRD instruments for the purchase of additional gas volumes for Ukraine. Work on obtaining the relevant grant from one of the European countries is already being completed,” Shmyhal wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
He noted that this was discussed during an online conversation with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso.
“We are grateful to our partners for this! We will continue to work together to find additional sources of funding,” the head of the Ministry of Energy emphasized.
According to him, it is also extremely necessary to continue financial support from the EBRD to Ukrenergo and Ukrhydroenergo, as this helps to provide repairs, equipment, and implement new solutions so that people have light and heat.
A program has been developed in Kyiv for reserve energy supply and protection of the most important second-level facilities (requiring reinforced concrete protection). A total of UAH 3.7 billion has been allocated for such shelters, of which UAH 2.7 billion has already been allocated to the Agency for Restoration under the Ministry of Infrastructure, which is responsible for the work, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Monday.
“After completing the construction of first-level protection, which was approved by a commission with the participation of the State Special Communications Service, we developed a program for backup power supply and protection of the most important second-level facilities. (These are the facilities over which reinforced concrete shelters are being built. I would like to note that the Agency for Restoration under the Ministry of Infrastructure was responsible for the construction of concrete shelters). The capital has allocated a total of UAH 3.7 billion for such shelters and has already spent UAH 2.7 billion of this amount. In other words, the financial resources are secured, but the city had to implement the program on its own. And Kyiv is doing it,” he wrote on Telegram before the meeting of the Kyiv Defense Council.
The mayor emphasized that all measures were carried out in accordance with the requirements of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Klitschko stressed the inadmissibility of bringing issues of the security of Ukraine’s energy system into the public domain.
“It was the City Defense Council that approved and adopted decisions on protective measures. After all, its representatives have the relevant competence, experience, and professional approach (the Council, I remind you, includes representatives of the Armed Forces, the State Emergency Service, the Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor’s Office, and other structures),” the mayor of Kyiv noted. “In my opinion, in wartime, this approach is justified and effective: the military and security forces must set clear guidelines for security. Any other format, where the issue of the security of Ukraine’s energy system is brought into the public domain and the opinions of amateurs are disseminated as expert opinions, causes significant damage to the issue of defense. In particular, to the image of the air defense forces,” Klitschko said.
