This summer, Ukrainians have faced widespread power cuts as a result of Russia’s continuous rocket and drone attacks, which have destroyed more than half of Ukraine’s electricity generation over the past three months. The power cuts have had a significant impact on the daily lives of Ukrainians, as well as on businesses and municipal services.
Roman Zinchenko, the head of Greencubator, joined the expert discussion at Media Center Ukraine. He spoke about the necessity of decentralizing the power generation system that Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union.
At the discussion, Roman Zinchenko outlined five key factors that limit the required changes in the Ukrainian energy system:
1️⃣ Insecurity. Ongoing Russian air attacks on critical infrastructure prevent the energy system from fully recovering and repairing damage.
2️⃣ Regulatory framework. Changes in the regulatory policy have begun, but it is still very conservative and focused on the hyper-centralized Soviet model of energy generation. Current policies are poorly oriented to work with consumer demand.
3️⃣ Access to financing. The necessary technologies for energy innovation already exist globally; there’s no need to reinvent them. What’s required is a system — like “Ukrainian monobank for energy solutions”— where communities, residents, or condominiums can easily apply for financing. This would ensure they receive the needed equipment and loans through an efficient credit assessment process.
4️⃣ Logistics. Roman believes that those who have transported batteries and inverters to Ukraine by trucks since the beginning of the Russian attacks deserve a monument. Unfortunately, logistics are severely limited now, posing a significant challenge.
5️⃣ People. There’s a significant shortage of professionals in all energy sectors, both in constructing new energy facilities and repairing traditional ones. These companies are now so busy that they schedule work for October and November. Therefore, training, upskilling, and employee professional development are essential to attracting more workers to the sector.
Watch the full video of the discussion in Ukrainian by following the link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1901835713668115
🎤 Speakers of the discussion:
– Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director at the Energy Industry Research Center (EIR Center);
– Yurii Boiko, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Member of the Supervisory Board of NPC UKRENERGO;
– Roman Zinchenko, Chairman of the Board of the Greencubator NGO;
– Maksym Gardus, Communications Specialist at Razom We Stand;
