Ukraine
The international community rallies behind Ukraine's energy resilience at UESF donor coordination meeting
Donors reviewed Ukraine's energy priorities as the Ukraine Energy Support Fund – administered by the Energy Community Secretariat -- looks to replenish resources ahead of next winter
On June 10, the Energy Community Secretariat and the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine hosted a Ukraine Energy Support Fund Donor Coordination Meeting, co-chaired by Secretariat Director Artur Lorkowski and the Ministry's Deputy Minister of Energy, Anatolii Kutsevol.
Both the Energy Community Secretariat and the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine are calling for EUR 650 million in new, flexible contributions to be committed by donors by mid-2026 to finance approved priorities and ensure Ukraine's energy system is prepared for the upcoming winter.
As reported during the meeting, the Fund has mobilised over EUR 1.9 billion in signed grants to date. This has enabled consistent, comprehensive support to the energy system. Nearly EUR 1 billion has been contracted to address its urgent needs to date, with energy aid worth over EUR 700 million reported delivered across Ukraine, supporting more than 70 Ukrainian energy companies. Over EUR 688 million are currently in procurement.
The Fund has recently introduced a series of measures to further sharpen its impact. At the meeting, the Ministry of Energy presented a new approach to prioritise energy support requests from companies. To further optimise processes, the Secretariat and Ministry have jointly launched a strategic reserves mechanism — maintaining critical equipment and spare parts for rapid deployment in the wake of targeted attacks. The first strategic reserves are currently being established. Meanwhile, the Fund's independent procurement agent presented a set of newly introduced instruments intended to further enhance the integrity and effectiveness of the procurement process.
New approaches will also be introduced to accelerate the Ray of Hope initiative, which keeps healthcare facilities running, regardless of attacks on the grid, through the installation of solar and battery systems. The initiative is gaining momentum, with 687 healthcare facilities selected, 265 sites underway, and more than up to 80 to generate electricity by the end of June 2026.
Finally, the Secretariat is working to unlock private investments through a de-risking mechanism. This mechanism seeks to cover war-related risks for selected new electricity generation units that stabilise the Ukrainian system by securing commercial guarantee financed by the Fund. During the meeting, NPC Ukrenergo outlined future capacity auctions in deficit regions where the mechanism could be applied, subject to availability of donor financing.
Further information on the Ray of Hope initiative is available here. Current procurement opportunities are available here for equipment supply and here for installation EPC contracts.
