Halt in Ukrainian Electricity Supplies to Have Minimal Impact on EU - Expert

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2022) The stoppage of Ukrainian electricity supplies to the European Union will have negative consequences for Kiev but will in no way significantly affect EU member states, French energy expert Damien Ernst told Sputnik.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry halted electricity exports to the bloc due to Russia's recent airstrikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and energy facilities.

"The termination of Ukrainian electricity supplies will not seriously affect any European country as the delivered volume is too small. However, this is a problem for Ukraine that will lose one of its sources of revenue in the amount of around 1 billion Euros ($970 million) per year," Ernst said.

The French expert recalled that in early July, Kiev pledged to deliver 100 MWh of electricity to the EU on a regular basis. In September, the amount was increased to 300 MWh at peak time and 250 MWh at night. The steps are aimed at integrating Ukraine with the bloc through the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), according to the French expert.

For Ukraine, it is financially profitable since the state would earn from 500 million to 1 billion euros per year in export value. However, for Western Europe, 300 MWh is negligible compared to its demand, Ernst said. He noted that Belgium alone consumed 9,000 MWh, so the capacity proposed by Kiev did not even represent one thirtieth of the country's consumption.

"Moreover, this Ukrainian electricity export can be stopped at any time by Russia, if it damages Ukraine's electricity network.

Russia's control over the giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant seriously reduces any possibility of Ukrainian electricity exportation anyway," the expert added.

Moreover, electricity problem is not widespread in the entire EU, according to Ernst. These are mainly Western Europe states, in particular Germany and France, that are suffering from the current energy crisis as their green electricity production depends on nuclear energy.

"France currently has a problem of maintenance for its 56 nuclear power plants. Half of them are temporarily stopped for repair," the expert added.

Meanwhile, Central Europe is almost not facing energy challenges, since the majority of the countries still rely on coal, wood and pellets, which means that the halt in Ukrainian electricity supplies will have absolutely no impact on the region, Ernst said.

Since 2021, energy prices in EU countries have been surging as part of a global trend. After the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 and the adoption of several packages of sanctions against Moscow by the EU, energy prices have accelerated the growth, placing energy security high both on the global and national agenda and pushing many European governments to resort to contingency measures. The EU has been looking for alternatives to Russian natural gas as it has pledged to end dependence on energy supplies from Russia.