U.S. to provide $53 million in electric grid equipment for Ukraine

People wait at a tram stop during a blackout in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko)

The United States government will provide more than $53 million to support the acquisition of critical electricity grid equipment for Ukraine, whose electric power grid has been the target of Russian attacks in recent weeks. 

The supply package is expected to include distribution transformers, circuit breakers, surge arresters, disconnectors, vehicles and other key equipment. Secretary of State Blinken announced the aid Nov. 29 during a meeting of the G7+ on the margins of the NATO Ministerial in Bucharest.

This new assistance is in addition to $55 million in emergency energy sector support for generators and other equipment to help restore emergency power and heat to local municipalities impacted by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power system

Since Russia’s further invasion on Feb. 24, the U.S. has provided nearly $32 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including $145 million to help repair, maintain, and strengthen Ukraine’s power sector in the face of continued attacks. The U.S. also has provided help in areas such as European Union integration and regional electricity trade, natural gas sector support to maximize resource development, support for nuclear safety and security, and humanitarian relief efforts to help Ukrainians to overcome the impacts of energy shortages.

U.S. support in recent years has helped prepare Ukraine for its eventual interconnection with Europe’s ENTSO-E electricity grid, including an island mode test last February that demonstrated Ukraine’s progress in meeting the EU’s technical requirements. It also proved to be critical considering Russia’s subsequent military activity aimed at disrupting power supplies and distribution in Ukraine.

The State Department said that with the increased attacks on Ukraine’s electricity grid and energy infrastructure beginning in October, the Department of Energy has worked with the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and DOE national laboratories to collate, vet, and help prioritize lists of emergency electricity equipment for grid repair and stabilization.

Work has been underway at the CEO level among U.S. private sector and public utilities and equipment manufacturers to identify $35 million of available electricity grid equipment that is compatible with the Ukrainian system for emergency delivery. Some $17.5 million has been identified to support purchase and transportation of this equipment.

A delegation from Ukraine is planning to attend DISTRIBUTECH International in San Diego, California February 7-9, 2023.

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