Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk has proposed an initiative that will help alleviate the situation with the shortage of electricity in Ukraine. This real step will be taken if solutions to certain legislative issues are found. Such measures would have helped Ukrainians get through the toughest winter months.
Currently, the majority of Ukrainians suffer from a lack of electricity and lighting, but in the fall, winter, and spring, the crisis will worsen due to insufficient indoor air temperatures. The situation will become more acute, as it will lead not only to economic decline, but also to deterioration of people’s health.
To prevent this to the maximum extent, the Polish government has reached out to the European Commission with a proposal to supply electricity to Ukraine produced from Polish coal.
European Commission spokesperson Tim McPhie told journalists that the Polish authorities have requested to discuss the possibility of supplying electricity to Ukraine under one condition — without payment for emissions. He explained that power plants in the EU typically have to buy emission quotas and pay for them when generating electricity.
McPhie noted that the EU aims to support the Ukrainian energy system during the winter, but is currently not ready to discuss the Polish proposal as the details are still unknown. He added that some EU countries are already assisting Ukraine by supplying coal to its power plants.
The idea of supplying electricity to Ukraine from Polish coal power plants was put forward by the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk. He also promised to encourage European partners to seek “creative solutions” to help Ukraine.
