The next cold season will pass without Russian energy carriers - Energy Minister

THURSDAY, 21 APRIL 2022, 19:11 -SERGEI MELNIK

The cold season of 2022/2023 in Ukraine will pass without the use of any Russian energy sources.

Source: German Galushchenko, Energy Minister of Ukraine, column for Ekonomichna Pravda 

Galushchenko noted that this heating season, Ukraine has already diversified coal supplies – more than half of the coal imported during the 2021/2022 cold season came by sea. Since November 2021, 18 ships carrying 1.424 million tons of coal have arrived.

Quote: "For the next season, we will work out logistics as planned. In addition, together with our Western partners, we are developing mechanisms for diversifying energy sources and supplies to Europe."

The Minister of Energy also reminded readers of the readiness of NNEGC [National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine] Energoatom to completely abandon Russian nuclear fuel.

One of the ways to eliminate energy dependence on Russia will also be to export Ukrainian electricity to European countries, which Ukraine will be able to start thanks to the merger with ENTSO-E [European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity].

"Our task is to ensure a stable passage of the next cold season – 2022/2023. It will be different from all the previous ones. Not only for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe. The next cold season Ukraine will pass without any Russian energy carriers," he stressed.

According to the minister, the Russian Federation uses gas transit through Ukraine as blackmail.

"During the period of the highest price growth in European markets in October-December, the average monthly gas transit from Russia to the EU was 17% lower than in January-August. This once again proves that the gas pipelines which the Russian Federation is building do not have economic goals," said Galushchenko.

The head of the Ministry of Energy stressed that now the main task is to stop the war.

"This can be done by shutting off the valve of its financing. To do this, the EU should stop buying Russian energy resources. An embargo on coal imports is a first step, but it is not enough. It is only 4 billion euros, while gas and oil products cost more than 87 billion euros per year for Europe," Galushchenko said.

Read more here: Sustained impact. How Ukraine went through the heating season during the war