By Timothy Gardner and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As Washington sends U.S.-sourced power equipment to Ukraine to help the country’s grid recover from Russian attacks, it is also looking around the world for such supplies, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
The Biden administration this week sent out the first tranche of $53 million in aid for electrical equipment it announced last month. The open market value is likely higher because utilities and manufacturers provided many items at cost and paid for transportation costs.
“They were very forthcoming,” an Energy Department official said of the providers, but noted that not all US equipment is compatible with Ukraine’s grid.
“Some of the things we have here are not like plug and play with Ukraine, so we have to look and see what is available and what will work,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
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Russia has launched widespread attacks on Ukraine’s heating and electricity transmission infrastructure since October, in what kyiv and its allies say is a deliberate campaign to harm civilians.
Washington and Western allies have provided Ukraine with funds and equipment to boost kyiv’s energy resilience. The Russian attacks have left millions of people in the dark and without heat in freezing temperatures.
Washington has an ever-changing master list from Ukraine of its power grid needs, which include keeping water and sanitation systems running during blackouts needed to stabilize the country’s battered infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, until the Russian attacks stop, we’re going to be looking at a patchwork system that will continually have to be put back together,” the official said.
The coordination of the acquisition and movement of equipment involves the departments of State, Energy and Defense; United States Agency for International Development; the White House and the Ukrainian government, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters at a briefing.
Russia’s military is fighting on the battlefield, so it is attacking the infrastructure to bring the war to Ukrainian homes, Price said. Once Ukraine’s urgent needs are met, the administration will focus on meeting its long-term grid rebuilding efforts, he added.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Richard Chang)
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