Business donations: 2300 technical goods for Ukraine

Status: 12/30/2022 12:22 p.m

The Russian attacks in Ukraine have destroyed part of the energy infrastructure. In order to repair them, German companies have so far donated 2,300 technical goods. There is also food.

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir thanked German companies for donations in kind to Ukraine. The two Green politicians emphasized that this help will also be needed in the coming year.

“In view of the brutal attacks on civilian infrastructure, we asked companies to donate technical goods such as transformers for Ukraine,” Habeck told the dpa news agency. “And they did that on a large scale.”

Goods for repair and maintenance of energy infrastructure

According to the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the increased Russian attacks on the energy supply in Ukraine have destroyed almost half of the relevant infrastructure and caused widespread blackouts. Therefore, donations in kind of technical goods are mainly required for the repair and maintenance of the damage.

According to Habeck, around 2,300 technical goods were delivered to the Ukraine with the help of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), including almost 30 transformers. “In the last few weeks, German companies have offered more than 60 transformers for donation, including several large ones.” Others would be produced, which the federal government would then buy from the companies in order to deliver them to the Ukraine.

“It’s exemplary how German energy supply companies and producers are moving along here. I would also like to say thank you for that,” said Habeck. Transformers play an important role in the power grid. With alternating current, they adjust the voltage between different areas in the network. Electricity is transported over longer distances at a higher voltage, but is then regulated down to a lower voltage before it flows out of the socket at the consumer’s home.

European Energy Community Energy Aid Fund

In addition to the donations, there is also an aid fund from the European Energy Community to support Ukraine with technical goods. The European Energy Community is an international organization in which the European Union and a number of Eastern and Southern European countries work together on energy issues.

The federal government supports the energy aid fund for Ukraine with 130 million euros, said Habeck. “The way it works is that the Ukrainian utilities come forward and say, ‘We have a problem.'” The Energy Community and the Ukrainian Energy Ministry checked the eligibility and tendered the required goods, the Economy Ministry said.

The money then goes to those suppliers who have been awarded the contract for the delivery of transformers or other goods to Ukraine. “This is a material contribution that should not be disregarded for Ukraine in the war that Russia is waging against the country’s infrastructure,” said Habeck, referring to both the goods donated and the goods financed through the aid fund.

13,815 pallets of food donated

From March to the end of the year, 497 food aid deliveries were arranged for Ukraine via the “German Food Bridge” aid project. According to the organization, it is in close contact with the relevant public authorities and non-governmental organizations in the country, is guided by the specific needs on site and communicates them to interested companies in Germany.

The total volume of donations promised so far is 13,815 pallets. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, food that is ready to eat and does not need to be refrigerated, canned food, baby food or drinks are currently in demand. Snacks, bread, cereals, cooking oil, sugar, salt and fresh fruit and vegetables with a long shelf life are also needed.

Minister Özdemir thanked the companies and organizations that had donated and the volunteers “who bring aid supplies to the war zones, some risking their lives.” According to the ministry, since the launch of the coordination center, 463 trucks have arrived at the unloading hubs in Poland.

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