A Ukrainian-Czech Business Forum was held in Khmelnytskyi region, where representatives of the two countries discussed strengthening their energy partnership.
Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Denys Shmyhal, thanked Czech First Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček for his country's solidarity and willingness to invest in Ukraine, particularly in the restoration and modernisation of its energy sector.
During his address, Shmyhal outlined five key areas for further cooperation between the two countries:
- Nuclear energy. Ukraine needs Czech expertise and technological solutions to modernise its nuclear power units and diversify nuclear fuel supplies.
- Hydropower. Restoring and modernising Ukraine's hydroelectric power plants will be a long-term undertaking. Shmyhal emphasised that Ukraine wants to carry out this work in cooperation with Czech specialists and manufacturers.
- Distributed generation. Czech cogeneration units are already operating in Ukrainian communities. Another important priority is the development of smart grids capable of operating both independently and in synchronisation with the national power system.
- Oil and gas sector. Ukraine is seeking Czech investment in domestic gas production and hopes to use its infrastructure and underground gas storage facilities to supply Central Europe with non-Russian energy resources.
- Energy system resilience. Priorities include modernising electricity transmission networks, strengthening the physical and cybersecurity protection of energy facilities, and establishing reserves of critical equipment.
Shmyhal also highlighted the Czech Republic's assistance in supplying energy equipment to Ukraine.
"We thank our Czech partners for their support in providing equipment delivered through the Ministry of Energy's logistics hubs. We highly value this assistance," the Energy Minister emphasised.
