On July 3, Kyiv hosted the 5th Energy Law Conference, organized by the Ukrainian Bar Association. The Solar Energy Association of Ukraine (SEAU) served as an information partner of the event, and the Association’s Chairman, Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, took an active part in the program.
As part of the conference, Mr. Sokolovskyi conducted a special interview with Andrii Herus, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy and Housing and Communal Services, and moderated the first session of the event, focused on the prospects of transforming the Ukrainian energy market.
During the interview, Mr. Herus outlined three strategic steps needed for the development of Ukraine’s electricity market:
- Development of distributed generation, which is already being implemented at hospitals, administrative service centers, and enterprises, but requires further regulatory simplification and public awareness support.
- Formation of a renewable energy market without “green” tariffs, demonstrating sector maturity where new projects – especially wind – are being implemented on market terms.
- Active rollout of energy storage systems, which are becoming more affordable, economically viable, and critical for balancing the energy system.
“Our market needs stability, distributed generation, and decisive steps toward energy storage,” emphasized Mr. Herus.
Mr. Sokolovskyi echoed this position:
“We definitely expect rapid growth of the energy storage sector in the near future. Many market players have announced their intentions – DTEK Renewables, for instance, plans to install 200 MW of energy storage capacity. Ancillary services auctions have already taken place in Ukraine, creating the foundation for new project launches. This and next year may become a true breakthrough for storage implementation.”
The first session of the conference, moderated by Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, focused on the integration of the Ukrainian energy market into the European energy space and its legal transformation.
Experts discussed the following key market issues:
- Implementation of draft law No. 1287D and provisions of RED II/RED III;
- Repayment of debt to renewable energy producers;
- Preparation for market coupling with the EU;
- Institutional challenges and investment attractiveness of the market;
- Improvement of land legislation to support RES development.
Among the session speakers:
- Vladyslav Maksakov – Senior Project Manager for Energy Transition, Recovery and Reform Support Office of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine
- Kateryna Danylkova – Deputy Acting Director of SE “Guaranteed Buyer”
- Oleksiy Orzhel – Head of the Kyiv office of the Energy Community, former Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine (2019–2020)
- Danyil Petrenko – Deputy Director General for Development, “Market Operator” JSC
- Maksym Yurkov – Director of Legal Affairs, NPC “Ukrenergo”
- Serhii Datsiv – Senior Associate, Energy Practice, Integrites
The speakers presented both governmental views and legal and technical challenges related to market transformation.
The discussion confirmed that Ukraine’s energy market is rapidly moving toward European standards, but it requires coordinated efforts from all stakeholders, including parliament, government, business, and the expert community.
SEAU thanks the Ukrainian Bar Association for the invitation and the opportunity for dialogue. The UBA and SEAU have a long-standing history of cooperation under a memorandum of partnership aimed at developing legal support for participants in Ukraine’s renewable energy market.