09.06.2026
On June 18, Energy Club will host the forum “From project to megawatt: engineering of new energy in Ukraine” in Kyiv. The event is dedicated to the practical aspects of creating new energy facilities — from technical concepts, design, construction, and grid connection to commissioning and launching the production of actual megawatts.
Ahead of the forum, Energy Club journalist Olena Karpachova spoke with the event moderator, Vice President of Energy Club and Acting CEO of JSC “Ukrainian Distribution Networks” (2023–2025), Artem Martyniuk.
Artem Martyniuk has over 20 years of experience in the electricity sector. He began his professional career as a relay protection and automation engineer at Kyivoblenergo and worked for several distribution system operators, including Kyivoblenergo, Dniprooblenergo, Poltavaoblenergo, Zakarpattiaoblenergo, and Volynoblenergo. From 2018 to 2021, he headed PJSC “Volynoblenergo.” He holds a higher technical education, an MBA degree, and has internship experience in the energy business in the USA.
Olena Karpachova: Why did Energy Club decide to hold a forum specifically for technical specialists?
Artem Martyniuk: Today, there is a lot of talk in the energy sector about investments, new generation, BESS, recovery, and international funding. All of this is important. However, in real life, any energy project starts not with a presentation or a financial model, but with an engineering solution.
You can find an investor, buy equipment, and have political support, but if the point of connection is chosen incorrectly, the object’s operating mode is miscalculated, grid constraints are ignored, or errors are made at the design stage, the project can be stalled for years.
That is why Energy Club decided to hold a forum for technical specialists. We want to create a platform for the people who actually design, build, connect, and operate energy facilities. Ukrainian energy today relies not only on regulation or funding; it relies on engineers.
Olena Karpachova: Why is the topic “from project to megawatt” relevant right now?
Artem Martyniuk: Because Ukraine needs not just ideas for new generation, but actual megawatts in the system.
Following massive attacks on energy infrastructure, it became clear that the Ukrainian energy system, in the conditions of war, needs support. We need distributed generation, local energy hubs, BESS, cogeneration, hybrid solutions, modern grids, automation, and rapid project implementation.
However, there is a long path between an idea and a real megawatt: technical concept, design, technical specifications, approvals, connection, construction, commissioning, and operation. At each of these stages, you can either accelerate the project or effectively block it.
Therefore, our goal is to discuss the practical journey from a concept to a working facility.
Olena Karpachova: What are the biggest problems holding back the launch of new energy projects today?
Artem Martyniuk: I would highlight several key problems.
First, grid constraints and the quality of assessing technical connection feasibility. Often, on paper, the grid looks overloaded, but the real situation is more complex: you need to look at generation profiles, consumption profiles, equipment operating modes, and the possibility of using energy storage.
Second, errors at the early design stage. Incorrectly chosen land plots, points of connection, equipment configuration, ignored protection zones, logistics, access roads, and utility networks — all of this subsequently turns into delays, extra costs, and conflicts.
Third, insufficient communication between the client, the designer, the grid operator, the EPC contractor, and the equipment supplier. Often, each party sees only their part of the process, but an energy project works only when all solutions are coordinated.
Olena Karpachova: Why has grid connection become one of the central issues for new projects?
Artem Martyniuk: Because connection is the point where a technical idea meets the reality of the power system.
In the past, many projects viewed the grid as a given: there is a facility, there is generation, and you just need to plug it in. But that doesn’t work today. The grid has its limits, modes, emergency risks, loads, power balance, and power quality requirements.
This is especially important for BESS, distributed generation, RES, and cogeneration. Such facilities cannot be assessed solely by their installed capacity. You need to understand when they operate, how they affect the grid, and whether they create a problem or help solve one.
Therefore, the approach to technical specifications must change. We need a more flexible, engineering-based approach that will allow us to launch the facilities the system needs faster, but without compromising the safety and stability of the grid.
Olena Karpachova: Why is so much attention being paid to BESS today?
Artem Martyniuk: BESS has become one of the key technologies of modern energy because the power system requires flexibility.
Storage systems can perform various functions: balancing, backup, peak shaving, integration of renewables, increasing the reliability of local energy hubs, and participation in the ancillary services market. But it is important to understand: BESS is not a universal answer to all questions.
The biggest mistake is buying a storage system without understanding its specific task. One facility needs backup power, another needs peak shaving, a third needs balancing, and a fourth needs to work in tandem with solar or cogeneration.
That is why at the forum we want to talk not about BESS as a buzzword, but about specific technical and economic models: what power is needed, what capacity, what inverters, what EMS, what protection systems, fire safety, service, and operation.
Olena Karpachova: Why does the forum pay attention not only to BESS, but also to cogeneration, gas generation, solar, wind, and hybrid solutions?
Artem Martyniuk: Because Ukraine needs not one technology, but a sustainable energy architecture.
Different objects have different needs. For an industrial enterprise, it may be important to reduce peak load and have a reserve. For a community — to provide heat and electricity to critical infrastructure. For a RES developer — to improve predictability and commercial efficiency. For a grid operator — to gain flexibility and reduce overload risks.
Cogeneration, gas generation, BESS, solar, wind, heat pumps, local energy hubs — these are all tools. The question is how to combine them correctly.
Hybrid solutions are exactly what can provide the greatest effect for Ukraine’s energy resilience.
Olena Karpachova: How much has the role of an engineer changed in modern energy?
Artem Martyniuk: It has changed significantly.
Previously, an engineer was often perceived as the person responsible for the technical part after the business had already made the decision. That doesn’t work anymore. The engineer must be involved at the very beginning, when the project concept is just being formed.
A modern energy engineer must understand not only the equipment. They must understand the grid, the market, the project economics, regulatory constraints, cybersecurity, automation, SCADA, operation, and service models.
In fact, the quality of the engineering solution today determines whether a project will become a real asset or remain a beautiful presentation.
Olena Karpachova: What typical mistakes occur most often at the design stage?
Artem Martyniuk: The very first mistake is to start with the equipment, not the task.
Often the client already knows what they want to buy, but does not fully understand what this equipment will be used for, what modes are needed, what the economics are, or what the grid constraints are.
The second mistake is underestimating the connection stage. Technical specifications, connection points, available capacity, redundancy, relay protection, telemechanics, and metering — these are not formalities. They are the foundation of the facility’s future operation.
The third is the lack of a service logic. An object must not only be built but also operated. It must be clear who is responsible for repairs, spare parts, monitoring, cybersecurity, and equipment availability.
And one more important mistake is underestimating war-related risks. Today, when designing, you need to think about modularity, redundancy, equipment protection, speed of component replacement, logistics, and maintainability.
Olena Karpachova: Who does Energy Club expect to see among the forum participants?
Artem Martyniuk: We expect technical directors, chief engineers, designers, EPC companies, distribution system operators, equipment manufacturers, integrators, industrial consumers, renewable energy developers, technology providers, community representatives, and everyone who is actually working on creating new energy infrastructure.
This should be a professional conversation between people who understand how an energy project looks not only on a slide, but on a construction site, in a dispatch center, in the grid, and in operation.
We want participants not just to listen to presentations, but to receive practical answers, make new contacts, and gain a better understanding of how to launch projects faster and with higher quality.
Olena Karpachova: What is the main result you would like to achieve from the forum?
Artem Martyniuk: I would like the market to have fewer illusions and more practical solutions after the forum.
Today everyone is talking about the new energy of Ukraine. But new energy is not just strategy, investments, or equipment. It is correct technical specifications, high-quality design, competent connection, responsible operation, and professional interaction between all participants.
If we want to get new megawatts quickly, we need fewer general slogans and more high-quality engineering.
That is exactly why Energy Club is holding the forum “From project to megawatt: engineering of new energy in Ukraine”.
