By KYIV. Nov 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine can meet less than 10% of electricity demand through imports, Andriy Gerus, head of the Verkhovna Rada committee on energy and housing and communal services, said during the Telethon on Tuesday.
"During peak hours, we consume about 16,000 MW. What we can import is less than 10% of our consumption, so we cannot cover our needs with only imported electricity," Gerus said.
According to him, the import of electricity is one of the stabilizing factors during periods of its shortage and can reduce periods of power supply cuts, but is not able to completely solve the problems of blackouts.
"Imports can help us during difficult times, imports can help us when we have shortages, help us to make the gaps when there is no electricity shorter, but imports alone cannot solve the situation, because the power grid and the possibilities imports are insufficient in terms of physics and technology," the head of the Energy Committee of the Rada said.
As head of NPC Ukrenergo Volodymyr Kudrytsky said in November at a meeting with European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, Ukraine, in the face of Russian shelling of its energy infrastructure, would like to have the potential to import from the EU a larger amount of electricity – 1000-1500 MW.
"Currently, 500 MW is the maximum limit for electricity imports from Europe to Ukraine. We would like this volume to be much larger – about 1000-1500 MW," he said.
At the same time, according to the head of Ukrenergo, the company provides an opportunity to import electricity from Europe to Ukraine in the amount of 500 MW, but this requires a special mechanism, which is currently being developed.
"This is important for our security. The EU power system is able to help us at a difficult moment, and it does it. As for commercial imports, it is technically possible. Ukrenergo provides the possibility of such imports in the amount of 500 MW and even 600 MW. We need special mechanisms for ensuring this import, because the price of electricity in Europe is higher than in Ukraine," Kudrytsky said.
