**EU and US Give $112 Million to Ukraine’s DTEK**
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, will get $112 million from the EU and the US. This money will be used to fix facilities damaged in Russian attacks and make them ready for winter.
DTEK was hit hard by Russia’s air campaign earlier this year. The attacks destroyed 90% of the company’s ability to generate power. Russia launched another big attack on November 17, targeting DTEK’s power plants again.
The US government is giving $46.1 million to buy control systems and new transformers for DTEK. The EU is contributing 62.8 million euros ($66 million) to fix generating capacity and protect equipment from the weather during winter.
“DTEK will be able to provide a stable and reliable energy supply to over 2 million Ukrainians,” the company said in a press release.
The US government says this aid package is critical for Ukraine’s energy resilience. “We are helping to rebuild and fortify Ukraine’s energy infrastructure against Russia’s unprovoked attacks,” said Geoffrey Pyatt, the assistant secretary of state for energy resources.
**Ukraine’s Energy Company Gets Help from West**
DTEK’s CEO, Maksym Timchenko, thanked the US and EU for their support. “We are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of the United States and the European Commission,” he said.
But not everyone is happy with DTEK getting this money. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has decided not to give funds to DTEK because its owner, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, has too much influence over Ukraine’s economy.
“The objective of freeing the economy from the influence of oligarchs is absolutely fundamental,” said EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso.
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