Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko has a problem.

The Russian occupation of several Ukrainian nuclear sites since the invasion — coupled with the minister's very public spats over safety with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — have raised European fears about the safety of Ukraine's power system.

At a meeting of EU energy ministers last week, Galushchenko pitched what he called a "win-win" deal for Europe: fast-track approvals to ramp up power trading with Ukraine and save 6 billion cubic meters of gas that won't have to be burned for electricity.

Kyiv then earns enough money to pay back debts while the EU makes a dent in its plan to save enough gas for a Russia-free winter.

In an interview, Galushchenko claimed Ukraine could immediately increase its power exports to the West from 100 megawatts (MW) to 1,690 MW.

The problem? "The technicians," he grumbled.

Ukraine's repeated proclamations of a potential nuclear accident if Russia continues to control the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, Ukraine's largest power plant, have clearly spooked Europe.

Those warnings, aimed at raising the EU's sense of urgency in the early days of the war, now risk undermining trust in its nuclear safety.

Ukraine wasn't supposed to be linked up with the European grid at all until 2023.

After the Russian invasion, Kyiv unplugged from the Soviet-era power grid linking it to the Russian and Belarusian electricity systems and ENTSO-E, the EU's network of power grid operators, authorized an emergency connection to the west.

Source | Politico