Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko met with the delegation Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to Ukraine Helene Sand Andresenof the Standing Committee of the Stortinget (Parliament) of Norway on Foreign Affairs and Defense headed by Chairman Ine Eriksen Soreide. The meeting was also attended by Vice Chair Aukrust Asmund, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to Ukraine Helene Sand Andresen, other members of the Norwegian Parliament and Deputy Minister of Energy Yaroslav Demchenkov.
The parties discussed Norway’s assistance in restoring Ukraine’s energy sector, ways to deepen cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources and the issue of ensuring European energy security.
“Ukraine has an ambitious goal to become an energy hub in Europe. Therefore, we are interested in deepening cooperation with our partners. In particular, we plan to increase hydropower capacity, so it is important for us to study Norway’s experience in this area. Cooperation in other areas of renewable energy, namely wind generation and the gas industry, is also promising,” said German Galushchenko.
The minister informed the delegation about the current state of the Ukrainian power system and the results of the repair campaign at power facilities, which had been carried out, in particular, using equipment provided by partners, and became the largest in the history of Ukraine.
The parties addressed areas for further cooperation in the energy sector in the context of Ukraine’s integration into European energy markets. In particular, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine is working with Norwegian partners to prepare joint projects to attract investment in energy generation technologies and develop sustainable and flexible electricity transmission and distribution systems.
Special attention was paid to the issues of European and global energy security. The participants considered the need to consolidate international efforts to eliminate the risks associated with the russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia NPP and the dependence of certain European countries on russian energy.
The minister emphasized the important role of Norwegian partners in the implementation of the Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in particular its energy security section.
German Galushchenko thanked the people, Parliament and Government of Norway for supporting Ukraine in countering russian aggression, including financial assistance to defense and civilian infrastructure worth NOK 75 billion under the Nansen Program. He also emphasized the importance of the support provided to Ukraine’s energy sector. Since the invasion, Norway has provided more than $450 million in energy grants. In addition, Ukraine has received 28 shipments of humanitarian aid from Norwegian partners weighing more than 250 tons, including generators, special equipment, transformers and high-voltage equipment. (Government portal/Business World Magazine)
