Ukraine resumes electricity import from Belarus

MINSK, 5 May (BelTA) – Ukraine has resumed electricity import from Belarus despite the Ukrainian parliament's decision to ban it till the end of the year, RBC Ukraine reports.

The Ukrainian MP Lyudmila Buimister wrote in a Facebook post: “Today, on 5 May Ukraine resumed electricity import from Ukraine. It was done contrary to the parliament's decision, despite the Energy Ministry's forecast balance, and despite the fact that a dozen of units of Ukrainian cogeneration plants are forced to be on standby.”

According to the source, it has been nearly three weeks since the parliament voted in favor of the proposal to authorize Ukraine's National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission to ban import, however, the regulatory body is mired in corruption scandals and has not even started preparations for the ban.

Ukraine resumed electricity import from Belarus and Russia in January-February 2021. However, on 15 April the Ukrainian parliament passed a bill on banning electricity import from Belarus and Russia. The bill gave the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission the authority to restrict access to interstate power lines.

TASS quoted the Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo as saying that electricity imported from Belarus and Russia may account for about 30% of Ukraine's wholesale market as from May.