Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its intent to provide up to $25 million to the Energy Community, one of USAID’s longest and most important partners in encouraging energy sector reforms and promoting European energy security.
USAID plans to contribute to the Energy Community’s Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which was established to pool donor resources for the purchase of much-needed energy sector equipment, thus enabling Ukraine to prepare now for the next winter season.
Ambassador Erin E. McKee, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, made the announcement today during a meeting with the Energy Community Secretariat in Vienna, Austria.
This is the latest step taken under the agency’s U.S.-Europe Energy Bridge, a hallmark initiative to strengthen the long-term energy security of Europe and Eurasia. In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, USAID continues to intensify its commitment to support the region’s energy sector through the Energy Bridge.
Recognizing that a country’s energy security is indivisible from its independence and self-determination, the Energy Bridge connects partners in the region to American investors, technology, and expertise. These linkages create a path to more reliable, affordable energy for businesses and consumers and promote integration among regional and global energy markets — empowering partners to break free from the energy and financial traps that produce insecurity and instability. This transformational work will lead to a more secure Europe and accelerate a just and secure clean energy transition for the region.
With support from USAID, tangible progress is already being made in the region. For example, in addition to supporting Ukraine’s and Moldova’s disconnection from the Russian power system and integration into Europe last year and providing commercial advice to help Moldova procure natural gas from alternative sources, USAID recently supported the launch of the Albanian Power Exchange (ALPEX) Day Ahead Market. This launch is an important step in modernizing and improving Albania’s electricity system, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for connecting markets with neighboring countries.
USAID is proud to partner with its allies to build a more secure Europe and accelerate a just and secure energy transition for the region.
For more information on the Energy Bridge, please visit here.