Currently, the deficit of the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine in applications submitted by Ukrainian energy companies is almost $500 million, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said at a meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers of the EU Member States in Brussels on March 17.

"The Energy Support Fund of Ukraine is extremely important … We need to support the work of this mechanism, because it has proven its effectiveness," he said.

The minister stressed that Ukraine has experienced the most difficult winter for the energy sector, suffering large losses, in particular in electricity generation, while applying almost no restrictions on electricity supply. According to him, there is no region in Ukraine where energy facilities have not been attacked by the Russians, and the total number of damages is estimated at thousands of cases. At the same time, new destruction and damage to the energy system are added every day, the enemy is intensifying shelling.

According to Haluschenko, the most critical priority for protecting the energy sector remains air defense.

"The enemy is using increasingly sophisticated weapons. These are not only drones, but also missiles, ballistic missiles, which are becoming more difficult targets. They are modifying their weapons to more effectively destroy energy infrastructure, and are using them more massively. Therefore, we need to increase the level of protection. This is the best solution for protecting the energy sector," he noted.

Physical protection of facilities, restoration and strengthening of energy infrastructure also remains important.

The Energy Support Fund was established in April 2022 at the initiative of Minister of Energy Herman Haluschenko and European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.

As of early March 2025, the announced contributions of partners to the fund exceeded EUR1 billion. Its donors include the public and private sectors from over 30 countries, international and regional organizations.