20.01.2026
Energy Club is launching the second stream of the course “Communications and Interaction in Energy.” This decision is based not only on market demand but also on a thorough analysis of the results from our pilot project. Last year, we gathered leading industry experts on one platform. After analyzing their presentations and feedback from participants, we formulated key conclusions that formed the basis of the updated program (2.0).
Speakers from the first stream clearly defined the challenges of industry communications. It is not just “PR”—it is a tool for survival and business development in a highly regulated environment. The 2026 course focuses on current challenges: European integration, working under conditions of energy system decentralization, and security risks.
The lecturers of the course “Communications and Interaction in Energy: Strategies for PR, Marketing, GR, and Lobbying in Ukraine 2.0” are practitioners who directly influence the energy information field today. Artem Petrenko, Executive Director of the Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine, will cover the topic of energy market structure, key players, and challenges. Additionally, he will speak separately about lobbying—its legal frameworks in Ukraine and the EU, as well as what constitutes ethical advocacy.
Why gas production today is a matter of energy security rather than just economics, where the line between advocacy and shadow influence lies, and which European rules Ukrainian business should consider right now—Artem Petrenko revealed these insights in an interview with the Energy Club media department.
– Mr. Artem, the gas production sector of Ukraine is currently under pressure from several factors simultaneously—war, European integration, and market liberalization. Which structural changes in the market, in your opinion, are the most important for PR, GR, and lobbying specialists to understand right now?
– The biggest structural change, which clearly manifested during the full-scale Russian aggression, is that the industry is no longer perceived solely as an economic activity—it is an important, if not the most critical, element of our energy resilience. In wartime conditions, our own gas is not just a commodity; it is our energy security.
Consequently, this means an absolutely different level of sensitivity to risks, limited access to data about the sector, and specific communication. For PR, this is a challenge: one must be able to explain to the media and society why not all information is public, and what risks clickbait headlines and hype-driven facts or figures can pose for Ukrainians.
GR and lobbying specialists, now more than ever, must learn to work within existing conditions to find balance and compromise solutions that will satisfy both the state and business.
Another important structural shift is Ukraine’s European integration, which changes the regulatory architecture, establishes new rules and environmental requirements, and adds new participants to the process—European and international institutions. In this era of global change, it is important for communicators to demonstrate flexibility and speak a language understood in the EU, while lobbyists and GR specialists should work not only domestically but also reach beyond the country’s borders to defend interests, including national ones, and synchronize them with European logic.
To sum up, the gas production sector today is about complex balances: between security and openness, national priorities and European rules. Understanding these balances is becoming the main competence for those working with reputation and influence in this industry. Specialists need to be deeply immersed in the subject, understanding production technologies, fiscal regimes, European law, and war risks. Those who do not realize this now will simply fall out of the professional field.
– You will speak on the course about lobbying within the legal frameworks of Ukraine and the EU. Where, in your view, is the line between professional advocacy of industry interests and opaque influence, and why is this fundamentally important specifically for energy?
– Professional advocacy is, above all, expertise, trust, and systemic work. It is when industry interests are represented openly, consequences of certain decisions are explained based not on empty words but on calculations and facts, and when options are proposed that take into account the interests of all process participants, not just a specific business.
It is important that your voice is not only heard but also listened to by those who shape rules, laws, and policy. Everything that happens outside this framework automatically falls into the risk zone—both legal and reputational.
A lobbyist in modern energy is not a “negotiator behind closed doors,” but a translator of complex industry needs into the language of state policy. In the European Union, lobbying is part of the democratic process with transparent registers, public hearings, and clear rules for interaction with government bodies. And Ukraine is currently on this same path.
– European integration is gradually changing the rules of the game for gas production companies. What European approaches to regulation and communication should Ukrainian companies consider right now to avoid “catching up” and instead act proactively?
– The EU is a large consumer of natural gas, but its own production is very small and does not cover even 10% of demand. Moreover, production is decreasing every year. To satisfy their own needs, Europeans focus on imports, particularly LNG, as well as the development of RES, biomethane, hydrogen, energy storage, etc.
In this context, there are no global initiatives regarding the gas production sector in the EU; they focus on ESG standards, energy efficiency, and decarbonization. Ukrainian companies should keep this in mind and incorporate these directions into their strategies and communications.
In general, key rules in Europe do not appear suddenly. They are preceded by roadmaps, consultations, preliminary impact assessments, and detailed calculations. Therefore, it is important for all companies, not just gas producers, to keep their finger on the pulse and monitor European Commission and European Parliament documents. This way, one can prepare in advance, because if a norm or standard is implemented in the EU, it will consequently be implemented here as well.
– What practical tools will course participants be able to gain from your lectures?
– First and foremost are skills in transparent and effective advocacy. We will learn to build lobbying work within the limits of Ukrainian legislation and European standards, relying on real cases.
Today in PR, GR, and advocacy, loud words are not valued—what is valued is the ability to manage complex processes in turbulent conditions. My goal is for course participants to leave not just with an understanding of how the system works, but with practical skills to act within it professionally, ethically, strategically, and at the same time achieve the desired result.
