26.12.2025
After almost four years of full-scale war, the question of which energy projects Ukraine needs first has ceased to be purely technical. Today, it is a question of economic logic, energy balance, system resilience, and even diplomacy. Flexible capacities, energy storage, and active consumers are forming a new market architecture where there are no “once and for all” defined solutions.
This was precisely the topic discussed by the participants of the second panel discussion “Architects of the Future: Recovery Strategies. Investments, Market Transformation, and Green Transition” at the Energy Club forum “THE ENERGY OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP: Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Frontline,” held in Kyiv on December 10. Key topics of the panel included: how to plan investments when the planning horizon has narrowed to months; the role of female leaders in energy diplomacy; how the war accelerated the green transition and decentralization; which projects – RES, storage, imports – are becoming the base; and what advice to give to young women just entering the energy sector.
Answering the question about priority projects, Krystyna Ian, Director of Energy Sales at ENERGO RESOURCE RI GROUP LLC, immediately outlined the main reality of the market: “It is very difficult to highlight one priority now because we cannot forecast for the long term. We try everything we can — because you never know what exactly will work.”
According to her, many solutions that seemed like an “option,” a competitive advantage, or a luxury maximum just a few years ago have become a basic requirement for the consumer today. For example, electricity imports.
“When we just started importing, it seemed like a luxury. Today – it is the base. If imports allow the consumer to avoid stabilization outages, they already demand it,” stated Krystyna Ian.
The same is happening with active consumers. If previously these were isolated cases, now almost every supplier has them in their portfolio, and large companies are investing in their own generation. “Therefore, to say that something can be put off ‘for later’ and something is a priority is very difficult. All of this is already becoming the foundation,” emphasized the speaker.
Part of Krystyna Ian’s speech was dedicated to personal experience – without embellishment or motivational clichés. She admitted that she entered the energy sector seemingly by accident, but over time she realized: it was a logical answer to her internal request to work in a basic sphere necessary for people.
She recalled 2017, paper nominations, deadlines at “the box on Klovskyi Descent,” and the fear of not making it in time: “I was standing in a traffic jam, calling what was then ‘Ukrtransgaz,’ and thinking: ‘God, what am I doing here?'”
But eventually, it became clear: energy is a foundation that will always exist, even when everything else crumbles.
The main advice Krystyna addressed to young women in energy sounded simple but honest:
“Where a man submits a resume, a woman will still think if she fits. Be sure: you fit. You need to try.”
She recalled that just a few years ago, synchronous operation with the EU energy system or electricity trading seemed like a fantasy, but today it is reality.
Separately, the theme of femininity in energy was voiced – without pathos and stereotypes.
“In the fourth year of the war, we simply don’t have a division into ‘female’ and ‘non-female.’ Everything works despite the large number of mobilized men. It is women who continue to hold this system. The war has exacerbated both internal conflicts and relationships between people. Today, talking to a consumer or partner, you are also a bit of a psychologist. Harsh reality needs softness and humanity, wisdom, and understanding of the situation more than ever. Smoothing out sharp corners after sleepless nights – all this is so inherent to us women. And this is what we can give it, because it is natural to us. We react to requests, get involved, bring our own. While women all over the world promote gender equality and defend their rights, we received all this together with huge responsibility. Therefore, right now is the time to show all your strengths and take your place,” emphasized Krystyna Ian.
The final accord was a conversation about internal resources: “As long as you have resources — you can help others. And to change the world, you need to take care of yourself first. The strongest woman is always calm; she does great things gradually, in small steps. And in 10 minutes for yourself, the world will not collapse, but neither will your internal support. It needs to be maintained. There are countless hobbies in the world, and doing something ‘for the soul’ and for recovery is normal and timely.” For Krystyna, ballroom dancing became such a resource.
“Don’t let your internal fire go out. Because this fire lights up the eyes, and for their sake, our men are doing the impossible today. And only this way, together, can we do everything!” summarized the speaker.
Krystyna Ian’s speech is a story about the reality of the Ukrainian energy sector in wartime, about resilience, acceptance of uncertainty, and the fact that the most important resource is people.
And it doesn’t matter which project is “first” today. What matters is that there are those who are capable of acting today, even without clear answers to the question “what will happen tomorrow.”
