Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Energy Yaroslav Demchenkov held a meeting to Kyiv on Wednesday (18 October) with Head of the Norwegian Agency for Cooperation in Development (Norad) Borda Vegar Solhjellem, Norway’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Marianne Kvan and Norway’s Ambassador to Ukraine Helena Sand Andresen.
Strengthening cooperation within the framework of the Norwegian Nansen Support Program for Ukraine in the amount of 75 billion kroner was one of the main topics of the meeting.
“We continue to work on stimulating the development of small-scale distributed generation based on renewable energy sources, gas generation, and energy storage systems. This will strengthen the resilience of the energy system and allow businesses and households to reduce their dependence on centralised generation in the face of constant attacks on energy infrastructure,” said Deputy Minister Demchenko.
Norad, an agency under Norway’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and Climate and Environment Ministry, is “considering options” for activities in Ukraine aimed at supporting sustainable post-war recovery and providing operational support during wartime, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said in a press release.
During Wednesday’s meeting, both sides also discussed how the envisaged assistance could contribute to strengthening the energy sector, and potential role of the private sector in green transition and decentralisation of energy infrastructure.
During Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre visit to Kyiv in late August, the PM announced that the Norwegian government allocated 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner (128.3 million euros) for the import of gas and electricity to Ukraine via the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The funds will be directed towards the repair and maintenance of critical electricity infrastructure and emergency power supply in areas affected by hostilities, as well as the purchase of gas for emergency storage, Ukraine’s Energy Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
