The European Union will allocate EUR 160 million to Ukraine to support energy security ahead of winter, of which EUR 60 million in humanitarian aid will be allocated for shelters and heaters, and EUR 100 million from frozen Russian assets will be directed to repair work and renewable energy sources.

The corresponding statement was made by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday in Brussels at a joint press conference with Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol.

"Overall, we estimate that our support to Ukraine's energy sector since February 2022 amounts to at least EUR 2 billion. And today, I can announce that we will make an additional amount of close to EIR 160 million available for this winter. This includes EUR 60 million in humanitarian aid for shelters and heaters, for example. And it includes around EUR 100 million for repair works and renewables," she said.

"Since the beginning, they [Russians] have been targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure to try and plunge the country in the dark. Half of all the country's energy infrastructure has been destroyed. This is approximately the equivalent of the capacity of the three Baltic states together," von der Leyen said.

"As Ukraine's friends and partners, we must do all we can to keep the lights on. And as winter is approaching, we must keep the brave people of Ukraine warm, while we also are keeping the economy running. The objective is to address the immediate needs of the population while we make Ukraine's energy system more resilient in the long term. Now, overall, Ukraine needs 17 gigawatts of power capacity for this winter. Today, I want to propose action in three areas. It's repair, it's connect, and it is stabilize," the European Commission President said.

"Some 80 percent of Ukraine's thermal plants have been destroyed, and a third of the hydropower capacity. So this is where we will concentrate our repair efforts, with the aim to restoring 2.5 gigawatts of capacity this winter. That is approximately 15 percent of Ukraine's needs. And we will continue coordinating all possible support from our member states through the civil protection mechanism," von der Leyen said.

"The second element to help cover Ukraine's needs for the winter is the export of electricity. We call it connect... We export 2 gigawatt of electricity to Ukraine, which also covers roughly 12 percent of the country's need for the winter. It compensates, for example, the equivalent of the loss of power generation from the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, as you know that is now under illegal Russian control. So if you take all in all, with our two pillars, repair and connect, we cover over 25 percent of Ukraine's needs for the winter," the European Commission President said.

She also focused on the third element, expressing confidence that the majority of electricity should be produced in Ukraine. "And my third point is on our work to stabilise the flow of energy in the country. We are boosting decentralised production of energy. This includes rolling out more renewables in the country. As you know, solar plants on rooftops are harder to hit and easier to repair than large central infrastructure. And while it helps secure a steadier flow of energy in the country, it also pushes forward Ukraine's energy independence and the clean transition," the European Commission President said.