Ukraine can export electricity again

(Patria) - Ukraine is able to export electricity for the first time in six months as its energy infrastructure recovers from months of Russian attacks, reports the BBC. Russia began its prolonged and deliberate attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure last October. This led to power outages, leaving cities in darkness during the winter.

Ukraine was forced to stop exporting electricity, but will now be able to sell surplus electricity again. Minister of Energy Herman Haluschenko signed an executive order allowing exports, although local customers remain a priority. He said the system has been producing additional capacity for almost two months and that Ukrainians are not facing restrictions.

"The hardest winter is over," said Haluschenko.

"The next step is the start of electricity exports, which will allow us to obtain additional financial resources for the necessary restoration of destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure," the minister said.

The country's electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced on Saturday that Russia has so far launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at its power plants. The company described the attack as the largest attempt to destroy the energy system of a European country. Each of Ukraine's thermal and hydroelectric power plants has been damaged since Russia began targeting energy infrastructure. Kyiv has also lost control of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, which is in Russian hands.

In June 2022, Ukraine announced that it hoped to receive 1.5 billion euros from electricity exports to the European Union, its main export market, by the end of the year.