Italy to support Ukraine's energy industry in winter period – energy ministry

Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak discussed the issue of cooperation with Head of the Office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) Pietro Pipi and Consul of the Italian Embassy in Ukraine Stefano Moser, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said.

During the meeting, the parties discussed areas of cooperation to strengthen the resilience of the Ukrainian energy system in the face of Russian attacks. This is of particular importance for the next heating season.

The Italian side said it was making maximum efforts to provide further support to the Ukrainian energy sector, in particular the allocation of a new tranche of financial assistance.

Andarak familiarized the guests with the needs of the energy industry, focusing on the priority measures that are carried out in preparation for winter.

"A repair campaign is actively underway at energy facilities damaged by Russian attacks. Measures are being taken to increase the capacities of distributed generation and backup power to meet the needs of critical infrastructure," he said.

The important directions, he said, include "strengthening the protection of energy facilities and preparing to provide Ukrainians with heat supply."

"We carry out relevant work in close cooperation with regional military administrations and local authorities and welcome the involvement of international aid in these directions," he said.

Special attention was paid to the development of distributed generation and opportunities for deepening cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

The deputy minister thanked the Italian side for the solar panels provided under the European Commission program for Ukrainian health care institutions and added that the procurement procedures for additional equipment for their installation were currently underway.

The participants in the meeting discussed the ways of providing additional assistance to the Ukrainian energy sector from Italy under short- and long-term programs.

Among the possible directions are the tools of the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine, created at the initiative of Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko and European Commissioner for Energy Affairs Kadri Simson.

The parties also discussed preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference, due to be held in Italy in the summer of 2025.