Partners should explain what kind of energy assistance is needed, because sending blankets won’t save, - Kharchenko
Гроші на підтримку енергетики потрібно шукати вже зараз. Це має робити не тільки уряд, а й місцева влада.
Alexander Kharchenko, director of the Center for Energy Research, stated this in an interview with Censor.NET.
Details
Following Russia’s massive strikes on the energy sector , everyone now recognizes the reality of the threats and has even quantified them in monetary terms at the national level, he noted.
"But that doesn’t mean we can just sit back and wait now. We really do need to go out and find this money. Let me repeat: not just at the level of the energy minister, the prime minister, or any other deputy prime minister, but in every city and town."
"Every city has sister cities. There should be departments or offices dedicated to cooperation with international partners. It is absolutely essential that this work be stepped up as much as possible at all levels—in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Brovary, Chernivtsi, and elsewhere," Kharchenko emphasized.
Communication with partners
The director of the Energy Research Center noted that even today, at the level of specific projects, we need to explain to our partners exactly what we need: how much money and what kind of equipment.
"In fact, there are many people in both Europe and the United States who want to help—not just government officials, but ordinary citizens as well. But it is very important that they be told exactly what kind of assistance is needed."
"Because if they just keep raising money and sending blankets, it won't help us at all. But when they get clear signals about exactly what we need, the situation changes immediately. I have many examples of how effective communication can help secure resources," added Kharchenko.
He said that Ukraine is using existing capacity from Europe to repair damaged power plants.
"Indeed, this is a source of spare parts for those of our facilities that can be restored. There are several facilities in Europe that, at various times, were either dismantled and reassembled or simply mothballed, and are now being dismantled and transported. They serve as a source of spare parts for restoring damaged facilities," Kharchenko concluded.
Read the full text of the interview with Oleksandr Kharchenko about preparing for next winter at this link.
