Ukraine resumes European electricity exports after six months

Ukraine will resume exporting electricity to Europe after a six-month pause due to crippling Russian missile attacks on the country’s infrastructure, Energy Minister German Galushchenko, said on Friday.

“The Ukrainian power grid had been functioning for almost two months without any restrictions on consumption and with a power reserve,” Galushchenko said in a statement, saying repairs had been a success.

He said that exporting the surplus electricity would provide additional financial resources for the reconstruction of the destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure.

An export of a maximum of 400 megawatts to the European energy grid had been agreed. Ukraine was connected to the grid shortly before the war began.

However, the actual amount of electricity exported will depend on the needs of Ukrainian consumers, said Galushchenko, adding that their own electricity consumers “unquestionably” remained their priority.

In the face of the all-out Russian invasion more than 13 months ago, Ukraine continued to export electricity to neighbouring ex-Soviet republic, Moldova, and the European Union from June until October.

This was when targeted Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy supply began.

In 2022, electricity generation in Ukraine fell by over 27 per cent due to the war.

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant near Zaporizhzhya, which has been under Russian control since March, was shut down in September.