12.06.2026
On June 9, 2026, Budapest hosted the Europe-Ukraine Energy Trading Forum 2026: Recovery, Market Coupling & New Trading Frontiers, organized by the Energy Club business community. The event brought together energy business representatives, investors, traders, and experts to discuss the recovery of the Ukrainian energy sector, market development, and new opportunities for international cooperation.
One of the forum partners was RSE s.r.o., a European manufacturer and integrator of modular energy solutions for industry, municipalities, and critical infrastructure. Today, the company is implementing projects in eight countries and is actively working in the Ukrainian market, offering solutions in cogeneration, backup power supply, energy storage, and microgrids.
Within the framework of the forum, Energy Club journalist Olena Karpachova spoke with Vadym Nozdria, Chief Commercial Officer of RSE s.r.o., about the prospects for distributed generation in Ukraine, the demand for comprehensive energy solutions, the development of BESS, the role of municipalities in energy reconstruction, and how technology companies and investors can jointly shape a new architecture for the country’s energy resilience.
– Mr. Nozdria, RSE positions itself as a company that provides energy resilience “in a matter of days.” From a practical standpoint, which specific types of facilities in Ukraine are currently in the greatest need of such rapid modular solutions?
– Demand is driven by the need for the rapid restoration of generating capacities because, unfortunately, due to the obvious circumstances related to the military conflict, Ukraine is facing very serious destruction in the energy sector caused by the enemy. A significant amount of highly maneuverable generation has been lost in recent years, and this deficit is, unfortunately, constantly growing. According to official data, about 10 GW of capacity has already been destroyed, which is very difficult to restore quickly. In this case, decentralized generation systems come to the rescue.
Unfortunately, today there is no alternative for Ukraine to gas and gas-piston engines, and all solutions based on gas-piston power plants offered by various manufacturers. RSE is one of the manufacturers that relies on MWM brand equipment. The production plant is located in Mannheim, Germany. In the Czech Republic, we have production facilities—incidentally, the largest in this part of Europe—capable of containerizing and manufacturing complete modular systems based on electrical installations with a capacity ranging from 600 kW to 4.5 MW per engine, which can be easily scaled.
At our Czech facility, RSE can produce over 30 medium and high-capacity modules per month. This gives us the ability to quickly provide for the needs of both private and public sector customers in Ukraine.
As a rule, private businesses can afford either the quick attraction of credit funds or payment with their own capital, so there is often a need to ensure delivery within weeks. The volume of our deliveries has been growing steadily since 2023. Given our capabilities, we often respond to such requests, conclude contracts in a matter of days, and deliver the first units to the site for installation and connection in weeks rather than months.
Currently, we have to compete very strongly with other markets because a serious deficit of similar energy equipment has formed. However, as a company founded by Ukrainians and based in the European Union, we always give priority to our customers from Ukraine.
– The RSE website emphasizes a “plug-and-play” approach and the possibility of installing systems in 10–12 days. To what extent has this format become a real response to the challenges of war, rather than just an engineering advantage?
– We place great emphasis on this in all our engineering designs. On the RSE YouTube channel, one can see a video of how, in January 2026, under difficult weather conditions, we installed and commissioned our modular energy plant based on a 4.5 MW engine—the largest one—in central Ukraine in just 12 days. The engine itself, by the way, weighs 57 tons.
These are the solutions we offer the market, and we believe this is the right approach and a direct response to today’s challenges.
– Ukraine is actively discussing distributed generation as an element of energy security. In your opinion, which technological solutions are in the highest demand today: gas cogeneration, diesel modules, hybrid systems, or BESS?
– It is easy for me to answer this, as we believe in all the components of decentralized generation and are suppliers of all the technologies you mentioned.
We started with gas engines and cogeneration plants, which we supplement with our waste-heat boilers to extract as much energy as possible—both electrical and thermal—and utilize it either on-site for production needs or in municipal heating systems. We have already completed such projects.
At the end of 2025, RSE became a dealer for the well-known FG Wilson brand (part of the Caterpillar family), which produces diesel generators of various capacities. We added our expertise and are already supplying containerized diesel backup systems to Ukraine, primarily for critical infrastructure. We have fulfilled orders from the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine and other customers. Recently, we have observed growing interest in integrated solutions that include all elements, including Energy Storage, to ensure maximum flexibility and stable energy supply through integrated microgrid solutions. RSE is a supplier of all these elements and ensures not only reliable delivery timelines but also integration, design support, site supervision, and commissioning.
– RSE works with cogeneration plants based on MWM engines, FG Wilson diesel solutions, BESS, heat pumps, and boiler equipment. How do you see the right balance between these technologies in a model of energy resilience for Ukraine?
– We are pleased to see growing demand from our clients, especially in the municipal sector, where cities either act as investors themselves or implement projects with private partners using gas-piston installations, heat pumps, and energy storage. The number of such projects, which involve various elements and are flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions and system challenges, is constantly growing.
The correct ratio between energy resilience technologies is always determined by the customer, and we assist with our technical vision and engineering expertise. In fact, we learn a lot from our customers; this is how best practice is formed. We have large private-sector customers in eastern Ukraine who started by purchasing cogeneration plants and are now, with our help, adding energy storage, thermal energy recovery, and planning to add industrial heat pumps in the future.
The system is flexible enough that, depending on changing challenges, the client can always adapt and order additional components or increase capacity to ensure a reliable energy supply.
– The company claims 900+ MW of installed capacity in Europe and Ukraine. What are the key lessons from this experience that are particularly important for Ukrainian communities and industrial consumers today?
– We have achieved significant volumes primarily thanks to our customers in Ukraine; however, RSE operates in eight countries. The closest market comparable in terms of volume is Poland, as well as the United Kingdom.
We recently signed a 400 MW contract in Poland from a single customer—one of the largest tenders in the industry, which RSE won.
Based on our experience, we help our customers navigate the massive deficit of equipment on the market. One has to plan years in advance and synchronize procedures for financing, procurement, and engineering.
We understand the limitations our customers have in Ukraine under military conditions. However, it should be noted that international and state banks in Ukraine are doing a lot to increase the liquidity and capacity of investors who have dared to invest in decentralized generation during this difficult time.
One of the lessons RSE has learned is that a project must be planned in advance. Implementation can often exceed 6 to 12 months, but this does not mean one should focus only on immediate opportunities. It is necessary to help customers formulate tasks, secure financial resources, conduct procedures, and be ready for delivery, while finding mechanisms to guarantee reliable delivery on time for specific projects.
– People in Ukraine often talk about new capacity as a technical solution, but the project’s economics are vital for the investor. What factors are currently decisive in making distributed generation projects investment-attractive?
– Usually, our customers are investors who evaluate market conditions, take risks, and make investment decisions. We see the difficulties they face, including tariff regulation and regulated gas prices.
This does not always give them confidence that their profitability or payback will match their financial models. Therefore, we always advise betting on maximally integrated solutions that ensure the fastest payback, considering the possibilities of cogeneration cycles. This means building capacity for consumers who can launch the facility quickly and utilize the full volume of electrical and thermal energy. This relates to the advantages of cogeneration, and sometimes trigeneration, where we offer solutions that convert waste heat into cooling energy for cold supply. With heat pumps and pipe modules, this ensures an overall efficiency (COP) of over 96%.
– How ready are European manufacturers or EPC companies to look at Ukraine as a market for long-term projects rather than just emergency deliveries?
– Over the past three years, we have observed that the structure of customers in Ukraine is changing. While at the beginning of 2024, requests from large businesses prevailed, demand is now shifting toward critical infrastructure in the public sector and municipalities supported by international financial organizations.
These projects are long-term, bureaucratic, and procedural, but this procedure often allows for the avoidance of serious mistakes during design and implementation. Therefore, RSE always participates in such projects to stimulate competition and provide the best engineering solutions.
– Where do you see the greatest demand in Ukraine today: municipal sector, critical infrastructure, industry, or commercial facilities?
– We are present in all these sectors. RSE has strategic clients in both industry and public critical infrastructure. Large business continues to be a significant part of our portfolio, providing us with stability.
As for municipalities—and I once worked in a city council myself—they are catching up, learning to implement projects using international credit and grant financing. It is available; banks are active; and there are great opportunities for municipalities of all sizes to provide themselves with decentralized generation capacity by the next heating season.
– The news about the partnership with FG Wilson states that it strengthens RSE’s ability to offer a full portfolio of solutions. Does this mean clients are increasingly seeking a comprehensive energy resilience architecture?
– Absolutely. We simultaneously supply large containerized modules based on MWM installations, supplemented with emergency power supply solutions for internal needs to ensure a “Black Start” when network voltage disappears. Several municipalities have received or will receive such solutions from us via international donor financing.
– Speaking of “Recovery as Business,” where is the line between reconstruction as an infrastructure need and as a business opportunity?
– The ideal scenario is when this line does not exist. When technology partners and investors find investment-attractive opportunities while ensuring the development of a new decentralized generation system, then the fewer distinctions, the better.
Recently, examples have appeared where industrial enterprises offer what is called an Independent Power Producer (IPP) model to market investors. IPPs realize investment cases for energy capacity, while industrial leaders can afford both independent provision and the attraction of independent energy producers. This is where the line disappears. Such projects are scalable because producers understand their needs, and investors are interested in reliable, long-term supply agreements.
– What barriers most hold back the scaling of distributed generation in Ukraine?
– For different market participants, a different mix of factors complicates investment decisions. Regulatory issues are certainly present.
Ukraine is paving the way for a flexible and open system of stimulating new generating capacities, and it has every chance to set an example for this part of Europe. Other countries face similar problems but without the challenges associated with large-scale military actions. Based on the Ukrainian experience, they are adopting advanced models.
While access to capital markets is difficult due to the need for war risk insurance, one should not discount the programs introduced by state banks in Ukraine. This systemic support helps those who wish to effectively develop new generation.
– BESS are increasingly viewed as a full-fledged element of the new market architecture. Is there an environment in Ukraine for more large-scale development of storage systems?
– I think enough conditions have formed. Storage systems are now one of the main drivers. All major players have declared or already implemented sufficiently large-scale projects. I have heard the opinion that energy storage systems are somewhat in the shadow of the automotive industry, which began to set the tone for the use of large batteries. This has formed the technological capabilities that must now be widely used; all prerequisites are in place.
– How important is it for technology suppliers to think not only in terms of equipment, but also in terms of service and long-term technical support?
– Very important. RSE makes this a priority. Our service team is constantly growing. We are involving new specialists who are undergoing certification in the MWM Caterpillar system. For our clients, this is often a deciding factor in their decision. Providing sustainable, reliable service is one of the pillars of this business.
Today it is already obvious that the future of Ukrainian energy lies in flexible and comprehensive solutions that combine efficient generation, energy storage, backup power, and modern control systems. At the same time, the key conditions for scaling new capacities remain access to financing, timely project planning, and effective cooperation between Ukrainian customers, international investors, and technology partners. Such synergy, according to Vadym Nozdria, is capable of accelerating the recovery of energy infrastructure and creating a foundation for a sustainable and competitive energy system in Ukraine.
