24.06.2026
The forum of technical specialists on networks, distributed generation, RES, BESS, cogeneration and practical solutions for energy sustainability “From Project to Megawatt: Engineering of New Energy in Ukraine”, organized on June 18 in Kyiv by Energy Club in partnership with Phoenix Contact LLC and Huawei Ukraine LLC, became a platform for discussing the real challenges facing the energy industry today.
The focus was not on general concepts, but on practical solutions: how to build new generating capacities in a short time, go through the procedures for connecting to networks, combine generation and energy storage, to model the operating modes of energy facilities and ensure their stability in wartime.
One of the speakers at the forum was Vadim Litvinenko, executive director of the Energo Plus Research and Production Enterprise. The full-cycle enterprise he heads implements projects from design to construction, service and repair of energy facilities. The company has over 100 implemented projects with a total value of over $150 million and a team of over 60 engineers and designers. In his speech, Vadym Lytvynenko focused on practical experience in implementing distributed generation projects, key challenges for wartime engineers, the need for a flexible approach to technical conditions, and the importance of high-quality modeling of power systems.
Protection of facilities has become a separate engineering science
According to Vadym Lytvynenko, today almost every project requires individual technical solutions, in particular regarding the protection of facilities.
“Protection of our facilities that we are building is, in my opinion view, and science that requires a separate path, because it covers a lot of issues in terms of further operation, further repair, further service,” he emphasized.
Especially complex are projects where it is necessary not only to build an energy facility, but also to immediately provide for protective structures.
“Building for a protective structure is a completely different path that requires professional engineering thought,” noted the executive director of the Energo Plus Research and Development Enterprise.
From five to nine months: a new reality of energy construction
One of the main challenges, the speaker called the extremely short deadlines for project implementation.
“On All of our projects have very tight deadlines – five to nine months. These are ambitious goals. Five years ago, I would have said that it was impossible, but today it is possible,” emphasized Vadim Litvinenko.
According to the head of the Energo Plus Research and Production Enterprise, the company already has successful experience in implementing extremely complex projects.
“There are implemented facilities in several regions where we transferred generation up to 30 MW in four months from the field to the 110 kV line,” he said.
That is why today engineers have to simultaneously analyze the regulatory framework, the equipment market, logistics, and construction possibilities.
The shortage of equipment forces us to look for non-standard solutions
Separately, Vadim Litvinenko focused on the problem of supply equipment.
“Supply of Schneider, Siemens, ABB – four to six months, and our contract will end within this period. Therefore, engineering thought again arises, which requires powerful thinking, how to get around it. We get around, we find, there is practice,” he said.
That is why the company actively uses its own production and alternative technical solutions.
“There are several areas that we can cover with our own products. We also attract analogues, cheaper ones, including Chinese ones, which allow us to implement the scheme in three to four months,” the speaker explained.
Regulatory policy does not keep up with the challenges of the time
Another factor that complicates the implementation of projects, Lytvynenko called regulatory restrictions.
He positively assessed the effect of the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1320, which allows for more flexible implementation of projects, but also drew attention to the problematic aspects of the regulatory field.
“There are issues that need to be expanded specifically in the legislative framework,” he emphasized.
Of particular concern is the need to go through numerous procedures simultaneously with construction.
“We are following the “design and build” path. That is, all processes are carried out in parallel as much as possible: we dig, design, coordinate a single-line scheme with the OSR. And at the same time, there are issues of estimates, examination of project documentation, urban planning conditions, land allocation. There are issues that slow down the process,” the head of the Energo Plus Research and Development Enterprise noted.
In his opinion, regulatory policy should be adapted to wartime conditions and the needs of energy restoration.
How 30 MW was launched in four months
One of the most interesting examples given during the speech was the project to launch a 30 MW generating unit.
“In four months, we designed, built, and launched a 30 MW machine, with an output of 26–27 MW. This became possible only because there was joint work on equal terms: the OSR, the customer and us,” said Vadym Lytvynenko.
The key decision was the phased implementation of the technical conditions.
“We reviewed the technical specifications, how we could break them down into phases. We broke them down into three stages, which allowed us to gradually implement the technical requirements. After four months, there was already a working scheme, and then we gradually reached the full terms of the technical specifications,” he explained.
After that, the project participants applied to the National Commission for the Regulation of Energy and Utilities of Ukraine and received the necessary approvals for the implementation of such a model.
Temporary solutions save critical infrastructure
The speaker emphasized that in wartime, temporary solutions often become the only opportunity to ensure the continuous operation of facilities.
“A temporary solution is our risks, it is our money. This equipment can then be stored and transferred to another facility,” he noted.
However, sometimes it is precisely such solutions that allow critical infrastructure to continue operating after enemy attacks.
“There are facilities where the main technical equipment was damaged as a result of aggression, and the entire CHP was held on to our temporary solution. This is also the case in the city of Kyiv,” said Vadym Lytvynenko.
Why there are still no typical projects
Despite the rapid development of distributed generation, the speaker is convinced that it is too early to talk about typical projects.
“Three years ago we thought: let’s do one project, learn, and the next one will be easier. “For three years, this has not happened yet,” said the executive director of the Energo Plus Research and Development Enterprise.
According to him, each new facility sets new tasks for engineers.
“Every time we solve problems with an asterisk,” emphasized Vadym Lytvynenko.
As an example, he gave one of the projects in the Kyiv region, where due to shelling, new temporary solutions had to be implemented several times in a row: “We implemented the design solution – arrival, it is not there. We are implementing the first temporary solution – arrival, it is not there. We are implementing temporary solution number two – arrival, it is not there. And only the third temporary solution was made – it works.
At the same time, the company is already working on creating typical technical solutions, in particular mobile substations of various capacities, which can be quickly used to connect new facilities.
Without modeling, modern generation cannot work
A separate block of the speech was devoted to modeling the operating modes of generation and BESS.
Vadim Litvinenko identified three main operating modes of power plants: autonomous mode for own needs, operation in parallel with the grid, and the most complex option – operation on a dedicated grid after the substation is disconnected.
“Synchronized operation on a dedicated grid is the most complex mode that “you have to calculate,” he stressed.
According to the speaker, the problem also lies in the fact that the traditional power system was built on the principle of top-down power supply, while distributed generation creates completely different operating modes and other short-circuit currents.
“When you turn off a substation, the short-circuit currents of this BESS or this installation are completely different, and the protections may not work
