Ukraine asks Australia for power generation assistance

Ukraine asks Australia for spare parts for power stations, generators and transmission equipment to plug gaps in supply caused by constant Russian attacks.

A crater is seen at high voltage substation switchyard which stands partially destroyed after the Ukrenergo power station was hit by a missile strike in Ukraine.

Ukraine has asked Australia to provide spare parts for power stations, generators and transmission equipment to plug gaps in its electricity supply caused by constant Russian attacks on power stations across the country.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made the appeal to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit being hosted in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Saturday.

Mr Kuleba told The Australian he had thanked Mr Albanese for Australia’s continued support for Ukraine, which has included 90 Bushmaster protected vehicles as well as a recent pledge to deploy 70 Australian Defence Force personnel to join the UK-led effort to train Ukrainian military recruits.

Australia is Ukraine’s largest non-Nato supporter and is now providing aid worth $650m, including $475 million in military assistance.

But Mr Kuleba said Ukraine needed more help from Australia in the form of energy infrastructure as a recent escalation in Russian attacks on the country’s power generation capacity had substantially eroded the power grid’s resilience and operational integrity.

“We have asked for (Australia’s) help with energy infrastructure; transformers, generators, spare parts,” he told The Australian.

“These are very technical things and they are all for a humanitarian purpose.

“He (Albanese) assured me Australia will consider to support Ukraine in practical terms. He took the list of our energy needs and promised to immediately instruct members of his government to consider this.”

Mr Kuleba said he had also proposed to Mr Albanese that the two major grain-producing countries join together to help address famine in African countries.

During the Saturday morning bilateral meeting, Mr Albanese condemned Russian forces’ ongoing targeting of civilians in Ukraine as “reprehensible” and vowed Australia’s ongoing support for the country’s “courageous struggle”.

“We’re very proud as well that this is making a substantial difference to the defence of your people,” he said.

“And I express on behalf of the Australian people our condolences for the loss of life that the Ukrainian people are enduring.”

With winter now approaching, reliable access to energy supply has become a key concern for cities across Ukraine as Russia has launched waves of missile and drone attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.

Ukrainian officials have reported that this has left up to 40 per cent of the power system damaged, with around 30 per cent of the country’s power stations destroyed. Attacks on energy infrastructure and generating facilities have occurred throughout the war, but the recent escalation has substantially eroded the power grid’s resilience and operational integrity.