Ukraine Support Online Conference: Energy Community and G7+ Coordination Group join forces to mobilize private sector support for Ukraine

Under the patronage of Secretary of State Blinken and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hayashi, the Energy Community Secretariat hosted an online conference ‘Assistance for the energy sector of Ukraine - Mobilizing the private sector’ on 23 March 2023. The aim of the information session was to demonstrate how effortlessly businesses around the world can provide support for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure via existing structures. The session was jointly organized with the G7+ Coordination Group in Support of Ukraine’s Energy Sector, the United States and Japan, in its capacity as G7 President.

Deputy Minister Farid Safarov from the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine firstly highlighted the dimension of the needed support. According to the Ministry’s assessment, more than 50% of power transmission and generation assets have been impacted by missile attacks. Energy companies face critical needs for equipment to repair the facilities and restore sustainable energy supplies to consumers.

To combat this wide-scale destruction, an EU-led mechanism for in-kind donations of energy sector equipment has been set up. The Energy Community Secretariat provides logistical support in cooperation with the Emergency Response Coordination Centre under the EU’s rescEU mechanism, which finances and arranges equipment deliveries from Poland to final beneficiaries in Ukraine. This direct hands-on support involves solving warehousing, customs procedures and logistics, as presented by Director Hans Das of DG ECHO and Adam Balogh, Lead, ECS-USTF. The Secretariat’s Ukrainian partners verify the technical compatibility of the offered equipment.

The Ukraine Energy Support Fund, the financial arm of the Secretariat’s Ukraine support activities, welcomes monetary contributions from companies via an established and straightforward process, complying with highest standards of transparency and accountability, as presented by Deputy Director Dirk Buschle. Monetary resources contributed to the Fund are currently used to procure and deliver urgently needed energy equipment for Ukrainian energy companies.

The Energy Community Secretariat invites the private sector to get involved and to support Ukrainian people through the set up mechanisms for financial aid and/or in-kind donations.