18.08.2025
Maksym Nemchynov, Vice President of Energy Club, provided a detailed analysis of the state of Ukraine’s energy system on the “Priamyi” TV channel, highlighting the key challenges ahead of the heating season. Among the main problems are a significant deficit in generating capacity due to Russian attacks and systemic market debts that complicate repairs and fuel procurement.
According to Maksym Nemchynov, Ukrainian energy workers are doing everything possible to stabilize the system, but the consequences of the attacks are extremely severe. Thermal and hydroelectric power plants have been particularly affected, leading to a shortage of maneuvering capacity.
“We are experiencing a deficit, especially of maneuvering capacity, because it was the thermal and hydroelectric power plants that suffered very heavily. But today, our energy workers are doing truly heroic work and are restoring everything that can possibly be restored,” he noted.
The ZNPP Issue and Market Mechanisms
One of the main energy security issues remains the return of the Zaporizhzhia NPP to Ukrainian control. This is necessary both to provide the country with additional capacity and to guarantee the plant’s safe operation.
Commenting on the recent regulatory decision to change the evening price caps, the Vice President of Energy Club assessed it positively, calling it a step towards a free market.
“The low price caps did not allow us to import electricity because, during those same hours in Europe, that electricity would have cost more… With this decision, we were, firstly, able to open up imports… Secondly, it is yet another step towards a free market and market-based pricing,” explained Maksym Nemchynov.
Integration with EU Markets and the Debt Problem
The integration of the Ukrainian and European electricity markets (market coupling) is one of Ukraine’s key European integration commitments. However, this requires resolving a number of legislative and technical issues, particularly adapting tax and currency legislation, as well as building a full-fledged clearing system in Ukraine.
At the same time, according to the expert, the main obstacle to the stable operation of the market and effective preparation for winter is debt.
“The debts are quite significant, and this also affects the preparation for the autumn-winter period. There isn’t enough money to purchase coal, equipment, for repairs, and so on. That is, debts are a very, very significant problem that needs to be solved,” emphasized Maksym Nemchynov.
Critical Steps for a Stable Winter
In summary, the Vice President of Energy Club identified two main areas of work to ensure the stability of the energy market during the autumn-winter period:
