The role of the Ministry of Energy in wartime: leadership, strategy, responsibility

Ukraine has entered one of the most difficult heating seasons. The energy infrastructure is under attack every day, and energy workers are performing real feats, risking their lives to avoid a blackout. At the same time, the state does not have an appointed Minister of Energy, there is no clearly articulated long-term strategy for restoring and developing the energy system, and decision-making often looks fragmented.

At this online meeting, we will talk about who is actually making decisions in the energy sector today, whether the existing institutional architecture (Ministry of Energy, acting Ministry of Energy, Government) is sufficient for wartime, whether a Deputy Prime Minister for Energy is needed, and what a strong state policy in the sector should be – from strategic planning to communication with society and the market.

The purpose of the discussion is to formulate several clear messages and proposals to the Government and the Ministry of Energy on strengthening the management of the energy sector in wartime conditions.

Questions for discussion

• Absence of the Minister:
  • How does the absence of an appointed Minister of Energy affect the management of the industry in the midst of the heating season? Are the powers and political mandate of the acting Minister sufficient to responsibly conduct this season?
• Deputy Prime Minister for Energy:
  • Does Ukraine need a separate position of Vice Prime Minister for Energy? What real powers and tools should it receive so that key decisions are made quickly and individually, but with responsibility?
• From heroism to politics:
  • The heroism of energy workers is a fact. But what should be the minimum “framework” of the state energy policy for 3–5 years: priorities, goals, responsible institutions?
• Restoration and development strategy:
  • How to build a system for planning the restoration of the energy system: a balance between emergency repairs, protection of critical infrastructure and investments in modernization, decentralization and distributed generation?
• The role of expert councils and the industry:
  • What should be the role of expert councils under ministries and the participation of professional communities? How to make their recommendations the basis of decisions, and not a formality?
• Communication of the Ministry of Energy:
  • What should the Ministry of Energy change in its communication with society and the market so that there is a sense of a unified plan, transparent decisions and clear rules of the game in the energy sector?

Speakers

Leonid Unigovsky

CEO of Naftogazbudinformatika LLC

Yurii Prodan

minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine (2007-2010), Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine (2014)

Oleksii Kucherenko

Member of Parliament of Ukraine

Oleksandr Dombrovskyi

Vice-President, Head of Energy Innovations and Energy efficiency of MHP; President of MHP Eco Energy; Chairman of the Board of the Public union Global 100 RE UKRAINE

Ivan Plachkov

chairman of the All-Ukrainian Energy Assembly, Minister of Energy of Ukraine (1999), Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine (2005-2006)

Moderator

Maksym Nemchynov

Vice President of Energy Club, former Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine