Overall, legislative changes expanding the opportunities for electricity imports from countries outside the Energy Community (Belarus and Russia) to the bilateral contracts market must help increase the commodity supply in this segment. And by the way, this market is the “cheapest” comparing to other – day-ahead, intraday and especially balancing – markets. At the same time, one has to remember that integration of Ukraine’s IPS with electrical grids of ENTSO-E member states for operation in the synchronized mode would mean discontinuation of simultaneous operation with electrical grids of Russia and Belarus. Moreover, during one year before that, Ukraine’s power system would have to operate in isolated regime to prove its self-sufficiency and reliability. Therefore, time has come already to take serious care of the balanced development of Ukraine’s own generating capacity and electrical networks. Otherwise, there is a risk that by increasing its dependence on electricity deliveries from Belarus and Russia for domestic needs, Ukraine would find it hard afterwards to fulfill ENTSO-E’s technical requirements and fully integrate into the European market, which is the country’s strategic priority.
