Russia’s brutal and illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in calamity and devastation, significantly affecting energy security.

The topic of today’s meeting is the protection of energy networks against natural and artificial disasters. Russia’s brutal and unlawful full-scale invasion of Ukraine has wreaked havoc and devastation throughout our region, with significant effects on energy security.

Ukraine’s thermal and renewable power stations have been severely damaged due to Russia’s aggressive war. 

Ukraine is acquiring the necessary equipment and funding to make corrections for the upcoming winter. The British government is attempting to mobilise the nation’s electrical equipment industry. Ukraine has learned the hard way about the urgent requirement for a more decentralised electricity infrastructure, with a focus on small modular reactors and renewables. 

The existing Ukrainian grid is highly centralised, making it susceptible to the Russian attempts last winter to cause a total grid collapse by targeting long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines and critical nodal substations. Russia then shifted its focus to power generation, launching attacks against all types of generation except nuclear. 

An entirely reckless Russian military force occupies Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. 

This is a lesson that all nations in the region with comparable systems must learn.

Putin’s invasion revealed Europe’s excessive dependence on Russian gas, which has implications for Europe’s affordability and safety. The long-term solution is to reduce our dependence on imported oil and gas to resolve our inherent vulnerability to international fossil fuel prices. 

Therefore, the UK has collaborated with international partners to prohibit imports of Russian coal, oil, and liquefied natural gas. A speedier transition to renewable and nuclear energy is necessary to reduce vulnerability to volatile oil and gas prices and Russian market manipulation.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the UK has committed nearly £140 million to assist Ukraine in responding to attacks on its energy infrastructure and support recovery efforts in the energy sector. 

This includes assistance from a multi-year, £62 million energy resilience programme.

In the UK, the March publication of the Government’s Powering Up Britain strategy outlines how the government will enhance the nation’s energy security and capitalise on the economic opportunities of the clean energy transition by establishing a clear and consistent set of strategic objectives and a long-term policy framework.