Lithuania hands over CHP plant

As part of its energy assistance, Lithuania is transferring a combined heat and power plant (CHP) to Ukraine. It is expected to start operating in the Ukrainian energy system before the beginning of winter.

Read more about what is known and how much additional power capacity our country can get in the RBC-Ukraine article.

How a whole CHP plant will end up in Ukraine

At a press conference in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Kremlin has targeted the energy sector in an attempt to plunge Ukraine into darkness. During this time, half of the energy infrastructure has been destroyed, which is equivalent to the capacity of the three Baltic states combined.

She also highlighted the 12-hour attack on 26 August, which left millions of Ukrainians without electricity for several hours. ‘As friends and partners of Ukraine, we must do everything we can to keep the lights on. And as winter approaches, we must keep the brave people of Ukraine warm while keeping the economy running,’ said the EC President.

According to her, Ukraine needs a total of 17 GW of capacity for the winter. The European side is ready to cover a quarter of it. Partly through assistance with the restoration. To date, more than 10,000 generators and transformers have been transferred through the civil protection mechanism.

‘And as we speak, an entire thermal power plant is being dismantled in Lithuania, which, with our support, is being shipped to Ukraine in parts and then assembled in Ukraine. This shows how long the European Union and its member states are ready to support it,’ said von der Leyen.

She repeated the statement about the transfer of a thermal power plant from Lithuania last Friday at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The President of the European Commission did not specify what kind of plant it is, but it is likely to be Vilnius CHP-3.

At least, this is what was reported earlier. In mid-July, the Lithuanian company Ignitis Gamyba announced the transfer of the CHPP. A humanitarian aid agreement was signed at the same time. According to DW, with the transmission operator Khmelnytskoblenergo.

‘We decided to transfer the equipment to Vilnius CHP-3 for a reason. In addition to the fact that it will work well in the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, it also meets the needs of the transmission system operator,’ said Asta Sungailene, CEO of Ignitis Gamyba.

Author - Olena Madiak, 23/09/2024