Shmyhal discusses energy cooperation with international partners
First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal held a series of bilateral meetings with international partners during his working visit to France, where he is participating in the International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial Meeting.
According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy.
In particular, Shmyhal met with Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
“The parties discussed the development of the century-long partnership agreement between Ukraine and the UK, cooperation to strengthen the protection of energy infrastructure, the expansion of distributed generation and modernization of grids, the introduction of innovative energy solutions, as well as the development of business partnerships,” the statement reads.
At a meeting with Sophie Hermans, Dutch Minister for Climate Policy and Green Growth and Chair of the IEA Ministerial Meeting, Shmyhal discussed Ukraine’s needs for restoring and modernizing the energy sector. He thanked the Netherlands for its readiness to provide energy equipment, including transformers and generators.
With Polish Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, Shmyhal discussed deepening cooperation in the oil and gas sector and electricity imports. The talks covered opportunities for developing the Vertical Gas Corridor and expanding Poland’s gas supply route to Ukraine; the use of Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities and closer cooperation between gas transmission system operators; strengthening cross-border power line interconnections; and the possible transfer of equipment from Polish power plants to restore Ukrainian facilities damaged by Russian attacks.
The meeting with German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche focused on attracting German investors to modernize Ukraine’s energy sector and creating strategic reserves of equipment for rapid recovery. They also discussed the potential inventory of decommissioned equipment from German thermal power plants and CHP plants that could be repurposed for use in Ukraine.
With Finnish Minister of Climate and Environment Sari Multala, Shmyhal discussed cooperation to strengthen the protection of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the transfer of used equipment from Finnish plants to repair Ukrainian facilities. The officials also addressed measures to counter Russia’s “shadow fleet.
In talks with Norwegian Energy Minister Terje Aasland, Shmyhal discussed areas of partnership between the two countries. He thanked Norway for its financial support in purchasing natural gas to get through the most difficult winter since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. He highlighted the crucial role of Norway and the Nordic-Baltic 8 in the work of Ukraine’s Energy Security Coordination Group.
Shmyhal also met with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. One of the topics was cooperation with global companies on the production and supply of energy equipment to Ukraine.