05.11.2025
Oleksandr Dombrovskyy, Deputy Chairman of the Board of MHP, President of “MHP Eco Energy,” and Head of the Board of PU “Global 100% RE Ukraine,” will be one of the key experts at the Energy Club forum “Energy of Freedom: Resilience and New Opportunities for the Energy Storage Systems Market in Ukraine,” dedicated to shaping the future model of the Ukrainian energy sector.
The experience of MHP—one of the country’s largest agro-industrial holdings—shows how big business is becoming energy independent. “MHP Eco Energy” is already implementing large-scale RES projects, so the integration of storage systems is the next logical step.
At the forum, Oleksandr Dombrovskyy will share the practical experience of “MHP Eco Energy” in implementing effective energy solutions to increase autonomy and operate in the market. The expert spoke about the vision for BESS’s role in the power system’s resilience, synergy with bioenergy, and future technological trends in an interview with the Energy Club media department.
— Mr. Dombrovskyy, MHP is one of the largest industrial consumers and, simultaneously, producers of energy in the country. As the largest agro-holding with continuous production cycles, how are you navigating the current energy crisis? What role do battery energy storage systems (BESS) play in your energy security strategy?
— MHP is facing the same challenges as all of Ukraine, where the energy infrastructure is being destroyed and ruined by the aggressor. However, given that we have been preparing for energy independence and company energy security for many years—providing MHP with “green” resources from our own production and energy storage systems—we have a portion of our own generation, and this helps a great deal.
— One of the main topics of the forum is new opportunities for consumers. What economic effect from BESS implementation are you calculating for MHP? Is it mainly about autonomy and security during outages, or do you already see a separate business model in this (savings at peak hours, arbitrage, services for the grid)?
— Today, the whole world is transitioning to “green” generation due to global warming problems, and solutions like solar, wind, and bioenergy allow not only companies but entire countries to be energy independent.
This requires the integration of various energy technologies. And energy storage systems are a key element in the transition to innovation and “green” energy, new distributed generation. For MHP, it is primarily about autonomy and security during power outages. And, of course, savings at peak hours, arbitrage, services for the grid—all of it combined. But first and foremost is the issue of energy security. The combination of solar energy and BESS ensures operation even during blackouts and significantly reduces the cost of electricity. I can provide many arguments, but I will do so directly at the forum.
— So, you are actively developing “green” generation, including having one of the largest biogas capacities in Europe. Biogas is stable, dispatchable generation. It would seem, why do you need batteries? How do BESS and flexible biogeneration coexist in your strategy—do they compete for investment or complement each other?
— Without a doubt, the systems complement each other. This is the principle of a synergistic effect, where different types of own generation in different seasons, in different periods, with different price maximums on the market, make it possible to seriously optimize operations.
We are actively developing this area and have many more projects ahead. This is, of course, both energy security and business.
— From an investor’s perspective, what is the main barrier to the mass construction of ESS in Ukraine today? Is it the high cost of technology, military risks, or the lack of a transparent regulatory environment and clear business models?
— In terms of “ranking,” of course, first place goes to military risks, where drones and ballistic missiles can destroy any energy facility at any moment, wherever it is located. Therefore, distributed generation is a new survival model for Ukraine’s energy system. I want to emphasize that for the resilience of the energy sector, energy storage systems are the main element.
The availability of proven technologies, in terms of their variations, is the second problem. The market is mainly represented by Chinese manufacturing companies, whose products have a competitive price. BESS produced in the European Union are much more expensive.
And, of course, there is the problem of investment resources, because in wartime, you have to think seven times about what exactly to invest in—projects with a quick return, or energy security, where investments have a long payback period but protect your own production.
And here, regulatory mechanisms are desperately needed, guarantees against risks associated with the possibility of destruction during the war, but with motivation for investors to enter the energy storage market specifically.
I am convinced: within the next five years, storage systems will become the most effective area of the energy business.
— As the head of the “Global 100% RE Ukraine” union, you promote the idea of a complete transition to RES. Is a 100% renewable energy system in Ukraine even possible in principle without gigawatts of storage systems? What place do ESS hold in this grand strategy?
— In any case, we always need storage systems to balance the market between consumption and generation, between different energy resources, such as natural gas, which is converted into electrical energy, just as electrical energy is converted into biogas today. We must clearly understand that there are different types of energy storage systems. Currently, lithium iron phosphate solutions are leading, but this does not mean that other innovative technologies that increase efficiency and become cheaper are not working. At the heart of clean, “green” energy, of course, will be Smart grids—which are unequivocally linked, among other things, to generative artificial intelligence.
The technological world is changing exponentially. And we must keep up with this acceleration.
— How do you assess the current state policy regarding storage systems? What three specific steps (from NEURC, the Government, the Verkhovna Rada) is the market waiting for immediately to “simplify the launch of projects,” as we declared in the forum’s themes?
— I always try to be as objective as possible. When we talk about the role of the state, we must realize that today the main task of the state is to endure and win the war.
No country in the modern world has gone through such trials, destruction, and abuse. That is why for over three years I have been saying: energy policy in peacetime and energy policy in wartime are completely different strategies. So from my point of view, the state is doing quite a lot today, despite the colossal challenges. The authorities are doing everything possible and impossible to preserve and restore the energy system.
Furthermore, we all must sincerely thank the energy workers, because they are true heroes of Ukraine. A simple energy worker, after shelling and destruction, restores destroyed or damaged equipment in a few hours and returns electricity and natural gas to the homes of thousands of people.
Therefore, there are many challenges, but the most difficult of them are the war and, as a consequence, destruction. We need to win, we need peace in order to then restore not only the energy sector, but also the economic and all other sectors of Ukraine as quickly as possible.
— What is the main message on behalf of both industry and the “green” community that you plan to convey to regulators and potential investors at the Energy Club forum “Energy of Freedom: Resilience and New Opportunities for the Energy Storage Systems Market in Ukraine” on November 20?
— I am one of those who believe in clean, “green,” renewable Ukrainian energy. And I am convinced that Ukraine has a 100% chance of being energy independent, ensuring energy stability for ordinary Ukrainians, and an affordable price for energy resources after the war ends.
Of course, during a certain transitional period, we will still use our existing infrastructure, including nuclear energy, which is decarbonized—meaning it does not generate CO2 emissions, and this is a big plus.
I am convinced that after victory, Ukraine will become an example for the whole world—a country with clean, “green,” and completely independent energy.
