Ukraine is restoring elements of its damaged energy system while simultaneously building a new one that is more resilient, decentralized, environmentally sustainable, and based on the principle of energy cells.

First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal stated this during an online address at the Security Architecture Forum.

According to him, the current war has demonstrated that the concentration of energy assets also means a concentration of risks.

“Our task is therefore to build a system that is more difficult to destroy and easier to restore. For Ukraine, this means establishing four levels of energy resilience: the state, regions, communities, and businesses. Each level has its own responsibilities and instruments for ensuring energy security,” Denys Shmyhal noted.

He emphasized that the second component of Ukraine’s response is to embed protection directly into the energy system and its management. This includes physical protection measures, air defense systems, cybersecurity, reserve capacity, modular equipment, and rapid repair capabilities.

At the same time, the key performance indicator is the speed of recovery. This is why Ukraine is preparing a strategic reserve of critical energy equipment for the upcoming winter season.

Denys Shmyhal stressed that Ukraine’s ambition is to become a regional energy hub at the crossroads of European energy corridors and an integral part of Europe’s response to contemporary energy security challenges.

“Russia sought to turn energy into a tool of our exhaustion. We must turn it into a tool of our resilience,” the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Energy concluded.