21.12.2025
Today, the Ukrainian energy system operates in a mode of constant risk. At the same time, crises become the birthplace of new management models, strategic thinking, and systemic solutions. This was discussed by the participants of the second panel discussion “Facing the Challenge: Leadership on Fire. Crisis Management and Operational Resilience” at the Energy Club forum “THE ENERGY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP: Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Frontline”.
One of the panel speakers was Iryna Dmytrotsa – Expert on Energy Project Development and Business Planning, Head of Operational and Regulatory Policy at JSC “Ukrainian Distribution Networks” (April 2024 — November 2025). In her speech, she focused on how uncertainty, risks, and turbulence transform into new management approaches — primarily for Distribution System Operators (DSOs).
According to Iryna Dmytrotsa, the energy sector has been living in conditions of uncertainty for many years, and today this is no longer an exception, but the norm. “Managing in times of uncertainty is our operational reality,” she noted.
Her own professional path – from a relay protection service electrician to top management and strategic positions – has become a confirmation of the deep transformation of the industry itself. Modern energy, Ms. Iryna emphasized, has long gone beyond the purely technical sphere: “Energy today is economics, business cases, investments, and money. And over the last 20 years, it has changed radically, in particular thanks to European experience.”
Iryna Dmytrotsa paid special attention to the role of Distribution System Operators – a segment that often remains out of focus in public discussions. “Without a transmission system operator and without a distribution system operator, the energy sector generally cannot exist. It is the trunk that holds the entire system – from the producer to the consumer,” the expert remarked. Based on her own experience, she outlined the key challenges DSOs face today.
The first systemic challenge is tariff formation. The current regulatory model today, according to the speaker, does not ensure sufficient tariff fullness and needs improvement for sustainable development and investment attraction: “The regulated model must be predictable – with expected investments, return on assets, and stable operational activity. This is exactly what builds investor confidence.”
The second block of problems is investment. Insufficient stability of the legislative field, limited sources of financing, and a deficit of competencies in building quality business cases hold back the flow of capital into distribution networks. Iryna Dmytrotsa stated: “DSO investment programs today are effectively financed only from the tariff. To attract external donors and investors, companies must learn to prepare high-quality business cases with strategic, financial, and managerial justification.”
The third important direction is communication and digitalization. The consumer and the producer expect fast, clear, and high-quality services from DSOs. “When the strategy is built correctly and communication works, trust is formed. And trust increases the investment attractiveness of the energy sector in general,” emphasized the expert on energy project development and business planning.
Separately, Iryna Dmytrotsa dwelt on the issue of effective management – from top executives to supervisory boards: “The supervisory board is not a punitive body, but the architect of the company’s future, who must see its development 10 years ahead.”
She also noted the role of women in making difficult decisions during the war, emphasizing the growth of their presence at all levels – from dispatch control rooms to strategic management.
Answering the question of the panel moderator Kateryna Ivanus, founder of the agency Kateryna Ivanus PR & Media Consulting, regarding the motivation of foreign investors to invest specifically in Ukraine, Iryna Dmytrotsa emphasized the systemic role of DSOs: “A strong Distribution System Operator is the basis for the development of RES, stability of supply, and functioning of critical infrastructure.”
She drew attention to the fact that the draft law on infrastructure projects adopted as a basis in November 2025 for the first time considers DSOs as a full-fledged object for investment. “A substation is the same infrastructure object as any object of a municipal enterprise. Without investment in networks, further development of the energy sector and RES is impossible,” the speaker is convinced.
Summarizing, Iryna Dmytrotsa emphasized: the Distribution System Operator is not just a company that transmits electricity, but a strategic player capable of modernization, digitalization, and working according to European standards: “This is not a story about corruption. It is about the right path, strong state companies, and significant revenue for the state budget. This is about the future of Ukrainian energy.”
