On 19 December 2025, the Interfax-Ukraine press centre hosted UWEA’s annual press conference, titled “Wind Energy and Energy Storage in 2025: A Year of New Solutions, Challenges and Growth”, dedicated to the results of the renewable energy sector’s work in 2025. This year’s discussion was, for the first time, focused not only on wind generation, but also on energy storage systems (ESS). It is precisely the combination of these two technologies that is increasingly clearly shaping the architecture of a post-war, decentralised and resilient power system for Ukraine – a system capable of operating under conditions of high variability, physical threats and market challenges.
“We are gradually moving from a policy of survival to a policy of recovery. The work of building a modern, energy-independent state did not stop even in the most difficult years of the war. Renewables and wind energy, in particular, continue to play a key role in this process – sectors that have demonstrated exceptional resilience and an ability to adapt”, – noted UWEA Board Chairman Andriy Konechenkov, opening the discussion.
According to him, the total installed capacity of wind energy in Ukraine today amounts to about 2.3 GW, of which 1.3 GW remain in the temporarily occupied territories. In the period from 2022 to the beginning of the first quarter of 2025, 248 MW of new wind capacity and a further 38 MW of second-hand wind turbines were commissioned in the territory controlled by Ukraine; however, the Association states that by the end of 2025 the total figure for capacity commissioned during the war will increase by 324.4 MW.
Separately, Andriy Konechenkov also outlined the medium-term horizon for the industry’s development:
“The total portfolio of projects at various stages of implementation already exceeds 4.5 GW. Geographically, this is approximately 44% in the western regions, 34% in central Ukraine and 22% in the south, primarily the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. This is a clear signal of the revival of development and of confidence in the sector”.
The energy storage segment was no less dynamic in 2025: “according to our calculations, over the past year 534 MW of energy storage was commissioned in Ukraine, which effectively means the formation of a new, full-fledged segment of the energy market”, – Mr Konechenkov shared.
After a brief overview of the statistics and key trends of 2025, Mr Konechenkov discussed with the invited speakers – representatives of UWEA member companies – the key investment signals of the outgoing year, the practical experience of working with new market mechanisms, and the role of energy storage technologies for the modern power system. Thus, commenting on the issue of attracting the largest private investment in Ukraine’s energy sector during the war for the completion of the second phase of the Tyligulska wind farm, Yevhen Lapchenko, Head of Regulatory Affairs at DTEK Renewables and a member of the UWEA Committee on Legal Affairs, noted:
“We are deliberately betting on distributed generation. The active phase of completing the Tyligulska wind farm is ongoing, and in parallel we are working on the development of the Poltava wind farm with a capacity of 650 MW. But the implementation of such projects is impossible without international capital, the attraction of which requires a predictable regulatory field, the availability of long-term off-take and the resolution of the debt issue, in particular for 2022. The state is already taking steps to meet investors halfway, and this momentum needs to be preserved”.
At the same time, market participants continue to emphasise that the scaling of such investment cases depends directly on regulatory stability, the availability of war-risk insurance and the predictable application of market support mechanisms.
Presenting the experience of a company that was one of the first to test the market-premium mechanism and the electricity price stabilisation mechanism, Olha Rybachuk, Managing Director of Elementum Energy and a member of the UWEA Board, emphasised:
“We were among the first to enter the open market with both wind and solar stations, and for more than a year we tested the market-premium mechanism. Under wartime conditions, it is critically important to maintain a variety of instruments – business cannot operate in a rigidly over-regulated environment with high risks. At the same time, the market needs further liberalisation and predictability. The balancing market today has significant debts (over UAH 40 billion), and it is precisely this market that is the key source of revenue for renewables. We are moving in the right direction, but executive implementation often lags behind legislative decisions.”
The need for a predictable regulatory framework was also discussed by Ivan Bondarchuk, Partner and Head of the Energy Practice at LCF and Deputy Chairman of the UWEA Board:
“2025 truly became a year of the revival of development and construction. But wind projects involve a long development cycle, and without clear rules of the game an investor cannot make decisions. The industry is awaiting the improvement of the auction system, a revision of price caps, the acceleration of connection to the TSO grids, as well as the implementation of RED III, in particular regarding the designation of renewables acceleration areas and the application of the principle of overriding public interest. Without this, the attraction of financing will continue to be limited”.
Separately, Andriy Konechenkov emphasised that the market is also eagerly awaiting the signing by the President of Ukraine of the Law on the exemption of wind energy equipment from import duty.
Subsequently, Mr Bondarchuk also focused on the issue of the compliance of current Ukrainian legislation in the field of energy storage with the actual needs of the market and investors. Given the rapid growth of interest in this technology among its member companies, in March 2025 UWEA expanded the mandate of its activity by creating a separate Committee on the Development of Energy Storage. So the discussion of this topic was taken up by Serhii Kravchuk, Director of Electricity Trading and Supply at KNESS, and also Deputy Head of the aforementioned Committee. Drawing on the company’s practical experience of participating in auctions for the procurement of reserves (in particular FCR), he outlined the potential for scaling up energy storage in Ukraine over a horizon of 3–5 years:
“The TSO has already effectively closed the needs for primary (FCR) and secondary regulation for the next five years. The next stage is the balancing market and daily arbitrage, where the potential is measured in gigawatts. We are convinced that after the expiry of the ‘green’ tariff (2029–2030), most producers will integrate energy storage as a mandatory element of their projects.”
Yevhen Lapchenko also shared the experience of DTEK Renewables in implementing an energy storage project with a capacity of 200 MW and an energy capacity of 400 MWh, which was built and commissioned in a record 12 months in partnership with Fluence Energy B.V. He noted:
“The launch of auctions for ancillary services created a real investment signal. Energy storage has significant potential – both for balancing the system and for shifting electricity over time. But here too, regulatory predictability and the absence of abrupt changes to the rules are critically important.”
Olha Rybachuk complemented her colleagues’ remarks from her side as well:
“Our company chose a different approach – not providing ancillary services to the TSO, but using energy storage to shift energy over time and optimise our own generation. It was precisely for this task that we calculated the capacity of the system. The equipment has already been delivered to the site, and in 2026 we are beginning construction. I also believe that the development of energy storage should not be tied to the expiry of the ‘green’ tariff – it should be an integral part of all new projects. But for this, a clear and stable regulatory field is critically important.”
Summing up the press conference, the participants agreed that wind and energy storage are becoming the foundation of Ukraine’s energy resilience. It is precisely these technologies that make it possible to reduce dependence on imports, increase the flexibility of the system and create the basis for a post-war economic recovery.
“Our task is to make our industry stronger than it was before the war. This requires an honest dialogue between business and the state, and a clear vision of the country’s future energy model. 2026 must become a year of systemic decisions. Without this, we risk losing the momentum that we have finally begun to gain”, – Andriy Konechenkov concluded.
