21.11.2025
Valerii Bezus, Vice President of the Energy Club and former Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (2021–2023), provided a deep analysis of the current crisis in the Ukrainian energy sector on Andriy Kulykov’s program on the PRO:UA channel. According to him, corruption scandals surrounding Energoatom are not isolated incidents but a symptom of deeper systemic problems that have been accumulating in the energy sector for a long time.
Valerii Bezus emphasized that the energy sector retains significant influence from public (state) administration—partly a legacy of Soviet approaches, but largely a historical issue for all major energy systems, not just in Ukraine. He noted that corruption in energy is nothing new: “Throughout the modern history of independent Ukraine, various energy segments—gas, electricity—have always featured groups of influence, including shadow ones.” According to him, the current scandal, although resonant, merely highlights the same systemic flaws that previously remained behind the scenes.
One of the key topics of the former SAEE Head’s speech was the creation of a new anti-corruption strategy for 2026–2030, currently being developed by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). This is a significant innovation, as for the first time, the strategy will include a separate sectoral chapter dedicated to energy.
Valerii Bezus leads the expert group assisting with the development of this chapter. He noted that the document is nearly complete and is expected to be approved by state bodies in the coming weeks. If adopted, it will form the basis of the state anti-corruption program for the next five years.
According to the expert, this approach is necessary because the energy sector carries specific corruption risks due to historical monopolization, the heavy weight of public administration, and its massive impact on economic and social processes.
The Energy Club Vice President pointed out that while Ukrainian energy workers managed to handle the strikes last winter and avoid large-scale blackouts, potential risks are significantly higher this year. The enemy has acquired greater capabilities for striking the energy system, while stocks and resources are scarce.
“We need to prepare for the most difficult scenario—hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” he emphasized.
At the same time, Valerii Bezus warns against panic: the energy system is not entirely vulnerable; it can be protected, restored, and adapted. He highlights the importance of repairs, grid reconfiguration, and resource mobilization—involving not only the efforts of energy workers but also international partners.
Separately, the expert addressed the terminology often confused in the public space. He explained that a “blackout” should be understood as an uncontrolled, destructive disconnection that is difficult or impossible to predict and not easy to restore. In contrast, scheduled power restrictions are a controlled mechanism for balancing the system aimed at preventing blackouts.
Such a clear distinction, in his opinion, is crucial for society: understanding the terms affects the perception of the crisis situation and expectations regarding the actions of the authorities and energy workers.
Valerii Bezus voiced one of the key paths out of high corruption dependency—energy transformation. He named three directions that could change the structure of Ukrainian energy:
According to the former Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency, these changes are not just political or environmental; they are also a tool for fighting monopolization and corruption: with more dispersed generation and decentralization, competition grows, and risks of systemic abuses decrease.
Valerii Bezus emphasized the complexity of strategic energy planning in wartime conditions. According to him, the future energy system must be built taking into account not only military and infrastructure challenges but also economic and demographic trends and intellectual development scenarios.
He expressed concern that Ukrainian energy currently lacks “high-quality intellectual resources” to formulate various future scenarios. However, he stressed that strategic planning is not a “luxury for postwar times” but a critically necessary instrument today.
A separate important message from the speech was the role of energy efficiency in stabilizing the system. The expert noted that Ukraine has a huge reserve of energy efficiency measures that is still underutilized. He is convinced that before planning new generation, consumption must be optimized to the maximum: insulating buildings, implementing energy-efficient technologies, and changing consumption culture.
According to him, energy efficiency is not just about light bulbs or insulation, but a cross-cutting category that should encompass the entire country’s economy.
Valerii Bezus highlighted Ukraine’s readiness to use high-tech solutions to increase energy autonomy. He pointed to the existence of already mature technologies, particularly energy storage units.
Such systems, he said, can ensure a certain degree of autonomy at the local level (apartment buildings, communities). At the same time, he acknowledges that full autonomy for everyone is expensive to implement and maintain.
The expert noted that while developing distributed generation, significant attention should be paid to cost parameters affecting electricity prices and the competitiveness of the national economy.
At the end of the conversation, the Energy Club VP drew attention to one of the key sources of Ukrainian resilience—community self-organization. He believes that local communities (neighborhood associations, apartment building communities) can play a decisive role in surviving crisis scenarios: from pooling resources to establishing independent energy supplies.
Valerii Bezus’s interview on PRO:UA is not just an analysis of the current scandal but a deep strategic message: corruption in energy is not just a “minor evil” but a systemic threat that needs to be addressed comprehensively. And his proposals—creating a sectoral chapter in the anti-corruption strategy, developing energy transformation, energy efficiency, and the active role of communities—can become part of such a solution.
