Shmyhal: Ukraine is building decentralized 'energy cells' system to strengthen energy security

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

Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal said this during an online address at the Architecture of Security Forum, Ukrinform reports, citing the Energy Ministry.

According to Shmyhal, the current war has shown that concentration of energy assets means concentration of risks.

"Therefore, our task is to build a system that is harder to destroy and easier to restore. For Ukraine, this means four levels of energy resilience: the state, regions, communities, and business. Each level has its own responsibility and its own tools for ensuring energy security," he said.

He stressed that protection must be built into the system itself and its management. This includes physical protection, air defense systems, cybersecurity, redundancy, modular equipment, and rapid repair capability.

At the same time, he noted that the key metric is now the speed of recovery. For this reason, Ukraine is preparing reserves for critical elements of the energy system ahead of the next winter season.

Shmyhal also emphasized Ukraine's ambition to become a regional energy hub at the crossroads of European energy corridors and part of the response to Europe's energy security challenges.

"Russia tried to turn energy into a tool of our exhaustion. We must turn it into a tool of our resilience," he concluded.

Photo: mev.gov.ua