Standing with the Ukrainian people: EU delivers further energy support for the winter

At a time when temperatures across Ukraine have dropped to below 0, Russian attacks have left millions without reliable access to electricity, central heating and water.

To help those most in need, at the conference ‘Standing with the Ukrainian people' in Paris today, President Ursula von der Leyen made 3 important announcements:

1. a new EU delivery of urgently needed power generators
2. the setting up of a rescEU health and energy hub in Poland opened to any third country donors
3. the donations of energy saving lightbulbs.

Today, the President announced that the EU has mobilised around 800 power generators to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. 

Latest energy assistance channelled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism includes:

• 40 new large generators from the rescEU reserve to provide uninterrupted power to 30 hospitals across the country
• 100 small – medium power generators from France. 19 generators from Slovakia, 23 generators from Germany, and 4 emergency power systems from Poland, and 252 transformers from Lithuania.

Furthermore, President von der Leyen announced the Commission will mobilise around €30 million for the purchase of up to 30 million energy saving lightbulbs for Ukraine.

The EU is also currently setting up a new rescEU energy hub in Poland to facilitate the transport and warehousing of donations from third parties and help with their delivery to Ukraine. This is done in cooperation with our G7 partners and can greatly increase supplies of emergency aid to Ukraine.

Overall, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre has channelled more than 76,677 tonnes of assistance to Ukraine via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism since February and also continues to coordinate medical evacuations of wounded or ill Ukrainians to hospitals across Europe. With weekly flights departing from the EU Medical Evacuations Hub in Poland, over 1,600 patients have been successfully transferred to 18 European countries.

The Commission also continues to work closely with the Energy Community to support the Ukrainian energy system. The Ukraine Energy Support Fund has so far collected €32 million to cover the most urgent needs.

President Ursula Von der Leyen said: “The Ukrainian spirit remains unbroken and unyielding. We must help Ukrainians through the winter, and for as long as necessary. This is what brings us to Paris today. Europe is providing more support to Ukraine as temperatures drop. We are providing 800 power generators, for example, and soon, up to 30 million of LED light bulbs, which can help make precious energy savings. In addition, we are creating a new EU hub in Poland to deliver energy and health assistance to Ukraine. It will be up and running as of next week – and opened to any third country donor.”

Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy, said: “The EU has been supporting the repair and replacement of Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the beginning of the Russian invasion by providing coordination, logistics and financial help. As Russia has ramped up the cynical attacks on power plants and transmission lines, we have ramped up the support. At the moment, generators as well as transformers and other specialised energy equipment are crucial for both immediate support and to ensure that the energy system remains functional.”

Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: “As Russia continues to deliberately attack Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure putting millions of vulnerable people at risk, we are making considerable number of offers in support of the country's energy sector. We continue to work around the clock to help sustain the electricity supply in Ukraine. I am grateful to all European countries that continue to support our largest and most complex operation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to date.”

Background

In response to the Russia's military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the European Commission is coordinating its largest ever operation under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. All 27 EU countries, plus Norway, Türkiye, North Macedonia and Iceland, have offered in-kind assistance ranging from medical supplies and shelter items to vehicles and energy equipment.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism's assistance goes beyond generators and transformers, with a wide variety of items such as circuit breakers, wiring and cables, supplies and equipment necessary for the repair, maintenance and functioning of the energy infrastructure. Around 56,500 different items have been sent to Ukraine.

Since 24 February, the European Commission has allocated €523 million for humanitarian aid programmes to help civilians affected by the war in Ukraine. This includes respectively €485 million for Ukraine and €38 million for Moldova. This is part of the overall €19.7 billion in financial, humanitarian, emergency and budget support mobilised so far from the EU and Member States since the beginning of the war.