Ukraine is negotiating to maximise possible imports of electricity from European Union countries to compensate for the generation capacity destroyed by the Russian attacks, Ukrainian energy minister said on Friday.
Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector have intensified since March, resulting in significant damage and blackouts in many regions.
The attacks have caused more than $1 billion of damage to the sector, leading to the loss of 8,000 MWh of generating capacity from the energy system, the government says.
Currently, Ukraine can import from the EU states no more than 1,700 Mwh of electricity simultaneously.
“We’re negotiating. Our task is to maximise this figure,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko told parliament.
“Technically, we can receive (import) more than 2,000 Mwh, even 2,400 Mwh. I’m sure a decision will be made,” he added.
Volodymyr Kudrytskiy, the head of Ukraine’s national power grid operator Ukrenergo, told Ukraine’s Telegraf that 1,700 Mwh is “the ceiling for now”.
“Everything will depend on how quickly our European colleagues – energy system operators of neighbouring countries – will be able to implement projects to expand the capacity of their grids,” Kudrytskiy said.
He said that European grid companies need time and money to reinforce some of their substations, install additional transformers or build new transmission lines.
“We think 3,500 to 4,000 Mwh of interstate interconnector capacity is something we can have in the horizon of five years,” Kudrytskiy noted.
IMPORTS
Energy minister Galushchenko did not say exactly how much imports are being discussed now, but Maxim Timchenko, the head of Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, said earlier this month that an increase to 2,200 Mwh could significantly improve the situation.
DTEK has lost about 90% of its power generation capacity due to Russian missile attacks in recent months.
DTEK data showed that Ukraine consumed around 13,000 Mwh before the attacks as of March 17 but after a series of Russian attacks on the energy system, consumption fell to 9,100 Mwh.
Due to power shortages, Ukrainian power grid operator Ukrenergo has been forced to introduce regular shutdowns of industrial consumers and households and maintain high import rates.
Problems with power generation can have a “potentially negative impact” on industry, especially the largest electricity consumers, the economy ministry said this week.
Mykola Solsky submitted a letter of resignation from the post of Minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada will consider it at one of the next plenary sessions, said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.
“The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine received a statement from Mykola Solsky on resignation from the post of Minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine. The statement will be considered at one of the next plenary sessions,” he wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.
The Ministry of agrarian policy and food in turn published a comment from Solskiy about the application submitted to the Parliament.
“Yes, I wrote a letter of resignation from the post of Minister. In such a situation, I believe it is the right step. The Verkhovna Rada will decide to accept my resignation – I will be grateful for such a decision, will decide that I should work further – I will continue to work”, – he explained.
As reported, on April 23, the NABU notified Solsky about suspicion in the possession of state land for 291 million UAH and an attempt to seize land for another 190 million UAH.
The Minister denied the accusations and stated that “the events, which, according to NABU, are reported in the suspicion to me, relate to the period 2017-2018, that is, at the time when I was a lawyer and was neither the Minister of agrarian policy and food of Ukraine, nor the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on agrarian and land policy”.
According to his information, the circumstances of seven years ago concern a dispute between state enterprises and individuals, in particular ATO military personnel, over lands granted to them in possession in accordance with the law.
On April 25, leading agrarian associations petitioned the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court to take Solskyy on bail, and also expressed confidence in the work of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.
The HACC heard the prosecution and defense sides during the trial on Thursday. SAP demanded for the current Minister of detention, and in case of a decision to release on bail two representatives of agrarian associations – chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation Maria Didukh and deputy head of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Rada Denis Marchuk – to prohibit Solskiy communication with other suspects, travel from Kiev, obliged to wear an electronic bracelet and bail 200 million hryvnia.
According to the broadcast of the meeting, the court declared a break and will continue consideration of the motion SAP on Friday morning.
Representative of the Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf took the oath of office as Scotland’s first minister on Wednesday, Sky News reported.
“Humza Yousaf took the oath of office as Scotland’s first minister,” the channel reports.
He accepted the post from Nicola Sturgeon, who had been Scotland’s first minister for a long time. She announced her resignation from the post earlier this year.
Yousaf won Monday’s election as leader of the ruling Scottish National Party. Normally, the first minister becomes the ruling party’s nominee.
Yousaf is 37 years old, making him the youngest leader of the Scottish National Party and the first Scottish minister. In addition, he is the first leader of this region of Great Britain with roots in South Asia, and the first to practice Islam. He was born in Glasgow and graduated from university in that city. His father was born in Pakistan and immigrated to Scotland in the 1960s with his family. Yousaf’s mother was born in Kenya to a family of South Asian origin.
The Western media noted that Humza Yousaf had pledged to continue campaigning for Scottish independence.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has arrived in Kyiv on a visit. This is the first visit of an Israeli high-ranking official to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
“I have come to say: Israel supports Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in difficult times,” Cohen wrote on his Twitter account.
During his visit, the Israeli foreign minister is scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
Cohen is expected to visit Bucha, Babi Yar and announce the reopening of the Israeli embassy in Kiev, which was closed due to the war.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at a meeting in Kiev with Slovak Foreign Minister Rostislav Kacher thanked him, the Slovak government and the president for receiving and supporting more than 100,000 Ukrainian displaced persons and helping Ukraine obtain EU candidate state status.
“We are grateful to you for supporting our temporarily displaced people, of whom you now have over 100,000. We are grateful to you also in terms of diplomacy for supporting us without hesitation on our way to the EU – in terms of granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate state,” Zelensky said.
He also thanked Slovakia for supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.
“I thank Slovak President Zuzana Chaputova and extend to her warm greetings, the Prime Minister and the entire Cabinet of Ministers who have been and are by our side,” the president added.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov announced that he had submitted a letter of resignation.
“In accordance with Part 1 of Article 18 of the law of Ukraine on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, I submitted a letter of resignation from the post of Minister of Internal Affairs. Thanks to the Interior Ministry team for the years of joint work. Thanks to every officer, private and employee. I am honored!” the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, citing Avakov on Tuesday.
According to a photocopy of the document posted on the ministry’s website, Avakov wrote the letter of resignation on Tuesday, July 13.
As MP Yelyzaveta Yasko (Servant of the People faction) reported on Facebook, the issue of Avakov’s resignation could be considered at the parliament on Wednesday or Thursday.
Avakov headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine since February 27, 2014. For the first time, he was appointed to a post in the government under Arseniy Yatsenyuk (2014-2016). Later Avakov was a member of the governments under Volodymyr Groysman (2016-2019), Oleksiy Honcharuk (2019-2020) and Denys Shmyhal (2020-2021).
