EU set to connect Ukraine, Moldova to its power network

By Ata Ufuk Seker

BRUSSELS (AA) - Ukraine and Moldova will be linked to the European electricity network as soon as possible, said the European Union commission for energy on Monday, speaking on day five of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Speaking to reporters after an extraordinary EU energy ministers' meeting in Brussels, Kadri Simson said Europe should stand by Ukraine in this period, and that the most important topic at the meeting was the support to be provided to Ukraine.

Europe works closely with Ukraine on energy market reform and energy system modernization, and the bloc wants to boost the security of Ukraine's energy supplies, she said.

Explaining that a project prioritized by the two sides is the synchronization of the Ukrainian electricity grid with the European grid, Simson said: "This is a strategic initiative that will increase Ukraine's energy independence."

Synchronization of the Ukrainian electricity grid with the European network is a project that both sides attach importance to, he said, adding: "This is a strategic initiative that will increase Ukraine's energy independence."

Ukraine was attacked by Russia when it was conducting insulation tests to prepare its electricity grid for connection to the EU network, he stressed. Russia has long opposed Ukraine’s closer integration with Western European institutions.

Ukraine has decided not to reconnect to the Russian electricity grid and urgently requests synchronization to the European network, he noted.

- 'Ukraine needs urgent help'

Saying that Ukraine and Moldova will be connected to the EU electricity grid as soon as possible, and that it is a technically difficult process to immediately connect Ukraine to the EU grid, he added: "Today I asked the ministers for support, there was a broad consensus at the table."

Many thousands of Ukrainian refugees have flooded into neighboring Moldova since Russia launched the war on Ukraine last Thursday.

He said that the union also works to supply gas to Ukraine by reverse flow, adding: "Ukraine needs urgent help."

A list of energy products such as diesel, oil, jet fuel and generators that Ukraine needs was presented to the ministers of member states, he added.

Russia has also used energy supplies as a weapon to push Ukraine away from the West.

Moscow’s war on Ukraine was met by outrage from the international community, with the EU, UK, Japan, and US implementing a range of economic sanctions on Russia.

At least 102 civilians have so far been killed in Ukraine and more than 500,000 others have fled the country, according to UN officials.

Ukraine says more than 350 civilians have been killed and over 1,600 injured during attacks by Russian forces.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun from Istanbul