U.S. to provide $125 million for Ukrainian power grid repair

The United States via its Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $125 million for electrical parts and other supplies to help repair crews in Ukraine keep up with Russian strikes pounding the country’s electrical system, AP reported on Wednesday.

USAID administrator Samantha Power announced the funding in a meeting with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska and others during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In a statement, USAID said that the money comes from the supplemental Ukraine funding approved by Congress last month.

The USAID plans to use the money to procure backup power for Kyiv’s water and district-heating systems. The funding also will help replenish supplies of gas turbines, transformers and other vital power equipment.

Past USAID energy assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 has included the delivery of 1,415 generators to keep the heat and lights on at schools, hospitals and other sites across Ukraine. USAID also has invested $55 million in Ukraine’s heating infrastructure.

Photo: A worker at a power plant, tries to repair damages after a Russian attack in central Ukraine, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)