The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has decided not to give money to Ukrainian energy companies despite the situation in the Ukrainian energy sector, the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera has reported.
The EBRD will not lend money to energy companies owned by Ukrainian oligarchs. In addition, the bank will not finance projects to rebuild DTEK’s power plants destroyed by shelling, as it belongs to the country’s richest man, Renat Akhmetov.
“The goal of freeing the economy from the influence of oligarchs is absolutely fundamental, and we have very firm ideas on this: it is part of the reforms that are necessary for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. If we were to compromise on this issue, we would damage the country’s long-term prospects,” Corriere Della Sera quoted EBRD chief Odile Renault-Basso as saying.
Despite the blackout in Ukraine, the head of the EBRD does not agree to give loans or guarantees against loans for DTEK.
Earlier, the executive director of the Ukrainian energy holding DTEK, Dmytro Saharuk, said that it would be difficult to supply energy to consumers in winter.
