On 27 February 2026, UWEA held its first Board meeting of the year, the key issues of which were the approval of the activity plan for 2026 and the expansion of the Board.
The meeting was opened by UWEA Board Chairman Andriy Konechenkov, who, among other things, summed up the results of the Association’s work for 2025. According to him, UWEA continues to play an active role in shaping the regulatory environment: over the past year, the Association submitted 106 official appeals to state authorities, 25 of which were in the format of joint positions with partner business associations. UWEA’s proactive stance made it possible to achieve a number of practical results for the market, including:
- the extension of the cash-basis method;
- the abolition of import duty on wind energy equipment;
- the extension of the possibility of using bilateral power purchase agreements (PPAs);
- the introduction of a capacity-reservation mechanism;
- the adoption of a deficit-free electricity transmission tariff.
The 2026 work plan was presented by Board member and Head of the International Department of the UWEA Secretariat Halyna Shmidt. She emphasised a strategic change in approach:
“The Association is moving from a reactive model to the proactive shaping of the sector’s development agenda”.
Among the key priorities for 2026:
- improving legislation in the field of renewables;
- integrating renewable energy into Ukraine’s Integrated Power System;
- developing wind energy at the community level;
- strengthening human capital and educational initiatives;
- developing the energy storage market.
The most lively discussion among Board members was prompted by the issue of human capital development. In particular, formats of cooperation with universities, career-guidance programmes and the initiative to create a specialised educational platform within UWEA – the Wind Academy – were discussed, which could become an important element in shaping a new generation of specialists for the industry.
Participants in the meeting also paid special attention to the preparation of industry events, in particular Energy Storage Day 2026, as well as to UWEA’s role in key international events such as WindEurope and WindEnergy Hamburg.
A separate item on the agenda was the expansion of the Board. Onur Kopcuoglu, Regional Manager of Eksim Energy and Executive Director of Atlas Global Energy, joined the UWEA team.
We welcome the new Board member and wish him fruitful work for the benefit of the development of Ukraine’s wind energy sector!
