Slovakia to Continue Supplying Electricity to Ukraine Despite Fico’s Threats

Slovakia will maintain its electricity exports to Ukraine despite recent statements by Prime Minister Robert Fico suggesting the potential cessation of such supplies. The Slovak electricity transmission system operator, SEPS, confirmed its commitment to honoring its existing agreements.

According to the Slovak outlet iRozhlas, SEPS, a state-owned entity, will ensure the continued delivery of electricity to Ukraine as part of emergency assistance under a current contract with Ukraine’s energy operator, Ukrenergo. Additionally, SEPS stated that cross-border electricity transmission would proceed as usual across all high-voltage connections.

The existing contract, extended in the spring of last year, allows SEPS to deliver up to 150 megawatts of electricity to Ukraine’s energy system. Over the first 11 months of 2024, Slovakia exported 2.43 terawatt-hours of electricity to Ukraine—3.5 times the volume exported during the same period in 2023.

Energy analyst Jozef Badida highlighted that restricting electricity exports from Slovakia could potentially breach both European Union and Slovak legislation. Former Slovak Economy Minister Karel Hirman previously emphasized that electricity is sold to Ukraine by private traders rather than the government. He warned that halting exports could embroil Slovakia in internal EU conflicts.

Despite political rhetoric, SEPS has reiterated its technical and contractual readiness to support electricity supplies to Ukraine, ensuring operational stability for cross-border energy exchanges.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s threats to halt electricity exports to Ukraine, warning that such actions align with Russia’s agenda and could cost Slovakia over $200 million annually in lost payments for electricity imports.

On December 27, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has suggested the possibility of halting energy supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv decides to stop the transit of Russian gas to Central Europe.