Securing electricity for 300 000 Ukrainian homes
News story | Date: 24/10/2024 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The first of 20 new transformers has now been delivered to the Ukrainian energy company, Ukrenergo. The RePoWER project, which is funded under the World Bank’s multi-donor trust fund for Ukraine, will provide 300 000 households with electricity. Today, during the 2024 Annual Meetings of the IMF and WBG, the Norwegian Minister of International Development met with the Minister of Finance of Ukraine and pledged an additional NOK 500 million to the trust fund.
The Ukrainian authorities and civil society organisations are making a heroic effort to keep the wheels of the country turning and to reform national institutions and legislation, all while contending with constant attacks from Russia. Today, Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Kristiansen Tvinnereim met with Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko during the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) in Washington DC.
It is the World Bank’s Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF), through the Restoration Project of Winterization and Energy Resources (RePoWER), which has delivered the first transformer and the need for more energy was discussed. The project will provide a total of 20 transformers to supply electricity and heat to 300 000 households. Ukrenego has already received 40 lorries with equipment for the repair and installation of energy supply infrastructure.
Much of the civilian support that Norway has allocated to Ukraine is being channelled through the World Bank, so the annual meeting in Washington DC served as a natural backdrop for discussions between the ministers. Funding provided by Norway helps to ensure that Ukraine can maintain essential services as the war rages on.
‘Keeping schools and hospitals running and maintaining an energy supply are absolutely critical factors in the daily lives of millions of Ukrainians. Russia’s attacks have destroyed a large proportion of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. With winter just around the corner, it is vital to ensure that the Ukrainian people have access to electricity and heat. This is why Norway recently announced additional funding of NOK 3 billion to secure electricity supplies to some 1.5 million people and industrial activities in Ukraine, and to provide other kinds of assistance so that the Ukrainian people will be able to make it through another winter of war,’ said Ms Tvinnereim.
During discussions with the Minister of Finance of Ukraine, the Minister of International Development pledged to channel NOK 500 million of this funding for the energy sector through the URTF.
Earlier this autumn, the Norwegian Government proposed to extend the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine to 2030 and to expand the overall funding framework from NOK 75 billion to at least NOK 135 billion over this period. The support programme is flexible, which means that funding can be adjusted on an ongoing basis. The annual allocation of NOK 15 billion is considered a minimum amount and not a funding cap.
‘Russia’s brutal war of aggression continues unabated. My main message during our meeting was that Norway will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. This is in the interests of both Ukraine and Norway, and the long-term Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine reflects our commitment. In addition, we had an important discussion about how Norway can contribute most effectively in the years ahead. Meetings like the one today with the Minister of Finance of Ukraine are important in setting the course ahead,’ said Ms Tvinnereim.