Ukrainian Maneuverable Energy Hubs: Investments That Create Independence

11.12.2025

At the forum “Energy of Freedom: Resilience and New Opportunities for the Energy Storage Systems Market in Ukraine,” Oleksii Tomash, Commercial Director of the Energy Division of the EDS Investment and Engineering Group, presented the company’s vision regarding the development of Ukrainian maneuverable energy hubs as investments that form autonomy, profitability, and strategic value for Ukraine’s energy system.

EDS Investment and Engineering Group has been operating in the Ukrainian energy market for over 15 years.

• The track record includes over 1 GW of designed solar power plants (SPP) and 450 MW built; the company holds first place in the country for SPP design and fourth place for construction.
• The company has its own production facilities, 500+ specialists, and covers the full cycle: from land search and obtaining technical specifications (grid connection) to commissioning the object “turnkey” and subsequent operation.

It is precisely the combination of deep engineering expertise and investment experience that allows EDS to offer industrial enterprises, agricultural holdings, logistics operators, and commercial developers not just an SPP or an Energy Storage System (ESS), but a fully-fledged maneuverable energy hub turnkey — with guaranteed autonomy, forecasted cash flow, and minimal risks.

“For an industrial enterprise, the difference in payback between a classic SPP and an SPP+ESS is 1.5–2 years. Today, this means 6 years versus 7.5–8 years,” emphasizes Oleksii Tomash.

In real business applications, storage systems provide:

• Full energy autonomy during working hours.
• Smoothing of discrepancies between the production schedule and solar generation.
• Arbitrage (buying cheap energy at night → selling expensive energy in the evening).
• Sale of up to 50% of surplus under the “active consumer” model (market price, not the “green” tariff).
• Additional income from own charging hubs.

“That is, without ESS, you simply generate kilowatts when the sun shines. With ESS, you generate money when the market pays the most for it,” noted Oleksii.

Current EDS Portfolio (End of 2025):

• 190 MW / 600 MWh — under active construction.
• 624 MW / 1264 MWh — in design.
• Another 100 MW / 300 MWh — in final calculations.

Live EDS Cases That Are Already Working

“Biagr” – Autonomous Energy Hub for an Industrial Enterprise

This is a real case of operation in the balancing market, price arbitrage, and project payback. Our experience in the industrial sector is vividly illustrated by the “Biagr” case — an autonomous energy hub where we integrated cogeneration, SPP, and ESS to ensure full operational independence and financial optimization.

• Initially, the enterprise used diesel generators: they provided quick autonomy but were costly.
• We replaced them with cogeneration units, which guarantee stable operation and significantly reduce fuel costs.
• Additionally, the SPP allows covering the main part of the daytime load and reducing the enterprise’s environmental impact.
• The ESS effectively balances peak loads, increasing the system’s reliability and economic efficiency.
• The integration of charging stations opened a new revenue stream — selling electricity for electric vehicles.

This case demonstrates the practice of working in the balancing market: strategic arbitrage — storing energy at low tariffs and selling at premium tariffs — makes the hub not only protected but also a profitable asset for industrial enterprises.

Solar Park – A Portfolio of Solar Power Plants with ESS

A portfolio of SPPs with ESS creates stable income for investors and provides a scalable model of a maneuverable hub. Our portfolio of 19 SPPs of 1 MW each and an ESS with a capacity of 1 MW shows how the combination of solar generation and storage creates stable income for investors and scales the maneuverable hub model.

• We implemented the full project cycle in 4 months: design, supply, construction, and launch.
• The ESS allows shifting generation hours from cheap to more expensive ones, increasing system efficiency.
• For the country, this means supporting the energy system through a more distributed generation schedule and meeting peak needs regardless of sunny weather.

Advantages of this solution: stable income for investors, minimal risks, forecasted project payback, and support for the energy system through a decentralized generation model. For the investor, the project is forecast to pay off in approximately 6 years, while ensuring stable income and reliability. This case demonstrates how the integration of SPP and ESS makes projects financially attractive for investors and simultaneously strengthens the country’s energy system.

“Acumen” – Large-Scale ESS

Implementation of BESS projects creates autonomous maneuverable nodes, increasing the flexibility and efficiency of the energy system.

• In our project, the ESS capacity is 50 MW, and the storage capacity is 100 MWh, which allows for effective load balancing and operation in the electricity market.
• This object has strategic value for both investors and the country’s energy system.
• In critical situations, the ESS supports the stability of the energy system operation, ensuring supply reliability and autonomy.

Project advantages: autonomy, flexibility, and profitability. This case demonstrates how large-scale energy storage units become a key element for the strategic development of energy and a financially attractive asset for investors.

E-mobility Hubs – A New Level of Charging Station Infrastructure

Large-scale charging stations create autonomous energy nodes and increase efficiency and investment attractiveness.

• These are not just chargers — the hubs work in tandem with storage units and solar stations, ensuring stable power supply and the ability to sell surplus energy to the market.
• Thus, they support electric transport, critical infrastructure, and help balance the energy system.
• Approximate project payback is 4–4.5 years, depending on capacity, the share of electricity sales, and local tariffs.

Project advantages and effect:

• Additional profit from the sale of surplus energy.
• Increased autonomy and reliability of the facility.
• Strategic value for investors due to the long-term need to support the country’s energy system.
• Creation of long-term financial and investment attractiveness.

This case demonstrates how the integration of charging stations with storage units and SPP makes objects energetically autonomous, financially efficient, and strategically important for the country.

As Oleksii Tomash emphasized, EDS has formed a clear understanding over 15 years of systemic work: maneuverable energy hubs are autonomous, profitable, and strategically important systems that organically combine ESS, solar generation, and e-mobility infrastructure. Such projects have long ceased to be merely a protective mechanism against risks. They create stable, forecasted income and directly strengthen Ukraine’s energy independence.

EDS Group is open to partnership and is ready, together with investors and industrial enterprises, to turn these solutions into the foundation of shared success and the country’s new energy reality.

EDS: Engineering + Investments = Ready-Made New Generation Energy Solutions

Oleksii Tomash emphasized that EDS combines engineering and financial expertise, creating a portfolio of maneuverable hubs that integrate generation, energy storage systems (ESS), and flexible management solutions. Such a model allows enterprises to receive uninterrupted power, sell surplus electricity, and optimize the use of their own generation.

• EDS Group has been working in the market for over 15 years, has over 500 specialists, and a full production-investment cycle: from land development and obtaining technical conditions to “turnkey” object construction and equipment supply.
• The company is ranked #1 in Ukraine for SPP design and #4 for their construction.
• Its track record includes over 1 GW of designed SPPs and 450 MW built.

Energy Hubs: A Combination That Reduces Risks and Shortens Payback
EDS develops its own maneuverable hubs — a combination of industrial enterprises, solar power plants, and ESS. The integration of storage units allows smoothing the difference between the enterprise’s work schedule and solar generation, storing energy, and releasing it when it is most profitable or necessary.

• Payback of SPP + ESS: about 6 years.
• Payback of standalone SPP: 7.5–8 years.

“ESS is becoming a necessity, not a trend,” emphasized Oleksii Tomash.

The company’s portfolio includes 190 MW / 600 MWh of ESS under construction, over 1200 MWh at the design stage, and over 300 MWh at the calculation stage.

Dynamics of the BESS Market in Ukraine:

• 2023 — market start, pilot projects, emergence of the first regulatory changes.
• 2024 — active construction, about 200 MW of commissioned capacity.
• 2025 — expected sharp acceleration of the market, specifically the launch of DTEK’s 200 MW installation in partnership with Fluence.

Practical EDS Cases:

1. Industrial Energy Hub (Poltava Region):

• SPP 7 MW.
• ESS 6 MWh.
• Two conversion units of 1.5 MW each.
• Diesel generator.
• Charging stations for electric vehicles.
• Such a multi-level system provides the enterprise with energy independence and shortens payback.

2. Solarfield Cluster, Vinnytsia Region:

• 19 SPPs of 1 MW each.
• On one — ESS 1 MW / 2.3 MWh.
• Currently obtaining a license for market integration and operation in various models (arbitrage, shifting residuals).

3. International Project for Acumen:

• ESS 50 MW / 100 MWh.
• Substation 35/1 kV, electricity output to “Ukrenergo”.
• Built “turnkey”.
• Payback: 3–4 years (currently — up to 5 years).

4. Mobility Hubs — The Next Step:

• The model includes SPP, ESS, and charging stations. Payback: 4–4.5 years with additional income from selling surplus energy.

In conclusion, Oleksii Tomash addressed investors and those considering entering the segment:

“The market is turbulent, and very soon it may be too late. Relying on technical, financial, and legal expertise — one needs to act quickly. This is a genuinely live story.”