European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Kyiv on Sept. 20 to discuss Ukraine's energy needs with President Volodymyr Zelensky, she said on Sept. 19.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels alongside International Energy Agency director Fatih Birol, von der Leyen said Russia "is trying to plunge the country into dark" as it destroyed 80% of Ukraine's thermal power plants and one-third of its hydroelectric capacity.
Zelensky said in his evening address on Sept. 19 that he is expecting "important talks" with von der Leyen in Kyiv regarding the energy situation.
Moscow has pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure in numerous aerial strikes throughout the full-scale war, with the largest one being carried out on Aug. 26 with the use of over 230 missiles and drones.
"As Ukraine's friends and partners, we must do all we can to keep the lights on," von der Leyen said.
The EU executive arm's chief noted that Ukraine needs 17 gigawatts of power capacity for this winter and named three main vectors of the EU's energy assistance for the war-torn country.
These steps should cover around 4.5 gigawatts of capacity, which is roughly 25% of Ukraine's winter needs, von der Leyen said.
In the first step, the EU will assist Ukraine with repairing its energy infrastructure with the aim of restoring 2.5 gigawatts of capacity.
"As we speak, there is a full thermal power plant that is being dismantled in Lithuania and shipped piece by piece to Ukraine with our support," the EU official said.
The EU will also continue exporting electricity to Ukraine and improving energy connectivity. The bloc will supply 2 gigawatts of electricity this way, which is equivalent to the loss of power from the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to von der Leyen.
As the third point, the EU will boost decentralized and renewable production to stabilize the electricity flow in the country.
The EU will support Ukraine with 160 million euros ($178 million) ahead of winter to improve the country's resilience to Russian strikes, von der Leyen announced earlier today.
Around 60 million euros ($67 million) of the EU aid will go toward humanitarian aid such as shelters and heaters. 100 million euros ($111 million) will be spent on repairing energy infrastructure and developing renewable energy.
Speaking alongside von der Leyen, IEA chief Birol presented a 10-step action plan to help the country tackle the winter, which he said may be the "sternest one yet."
Martin Fornusek
