Urgent appeal to Dutch municipalities to support Ukrainian cities with energy equipment
Large parts of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have been damaged by targeted Russian attacks. As a result, essential public services are under severe pressure. The Ukrainian Embassy and the Kyiv City Council are making an urgent appeal to Dutch municipalities to provide support. Disruptions to the electricity grid affect daily life across the country, particularly in major cities such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, where power outages quickly impact residents and vital services.
The municipalities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam have already contributed via the VNG Fund to support Ukrainian municipalities, for which we are very grateful.
How Dutch municipalities can contribute
To protect residents and keep essential services running, there is an urgent need for generators and other energy equipment. Dutch municipalities can contribute in two ways. They can make available energy equipment that is currently unused, or they can make a financial contribution to the VNG Fund. The cost of a generator ranges from tens of thousands to several hundreds of thousands of euros. This is precisely why sharing existing equipment or pooling financial contributions is so valuable. Even smaller contributions help Ukrainian municipalities secure emergency power for essential services.
What is needed now
The current request focuses on equipment that can be deployed immediately to keep vital services operational, including:
- diesel and gas generators
- transformers
- mobile substations
- switchgear
- voltage regulators
Equipment that is no longer in active use in the Netherlands can make a difference in Ukrainian municipalities where the energy supply is under extreme strain.
Donations via the VNG Fund
The VNG Fund enables municipalities to support partner municipalities abroad in times of disaster and conflict. The Fund coordinates logistics and ensures that contributions reach the right place quickly and efficiently. Donations can be made to Stichting VNG Fonds NL94 BNGH 0285 1737 15 with the reference “Oekraine”.
Contact
Municipalities that can make equipment available or have questions about the procedure are invited to contact mijke.rietbroek@vng.nl.