02.12.2025
On December 10, the Energy Club forum “ENERGY OF FEMALE LEADERSHIP: Women Holding Ukraine’s Energy Front” will take place in Kyiv. The focus will be on the unique experiences of female leaders in the Ukrainian energy sector during the full-scale war.
Mariia Prokhorchuk, Deputy Director for Electricity Market Issues at Eco-Optima Group of Companies, will be among the leading speakers at the event. She will present key findings and a vision for the development of energy storage systems in Ukraine, outline the main market challenges, and highlight the opportunities opening up for energy companies amidst the sector’s transformation.
In an interview with the Energy Club media department, Mariia Prokhorchuk shared her experience working with innovative approaches to energy project management, spoke about strategies for increasing energy system resilience, and emphasized why storage technologies are becoming one of the main factors of the country’s energy security today.
— Ms. Mariia, before the full-scale invasion, renewable energy was often perceived through the prism of ecology and the “green” tariff. The war changed everything. How has the perception of your work transformed over these years? Do you feel that today, solar and wind stations are no longer just about a clean planet, but primarily about the physical survival of the energy system and national security?
— RES is not just about ecology, but more about the resilience of regions in wartime conditions. After the first massive strikes on energy infrastructure, we very quickly became convinced: wind and solar stations are not just about the “green” tariff or corporate reputation. They represent the real independence of regions within Ukraine’s united energy system.
Where there were WPPs (Wind Power Plants) and SPPs (Solar Power Plants), where distributed generation existed, communities had a chance to restore power faster, ensure critical needs, and support the system even in moments of total deficit. It can be said that RES has become an element of the country’s energy defense, no less important than any other critical infrastructure.
— You are the Deputy Director for Market Issues. This means you deal with the most difficult part of the RES business: balancing and financial flows in conditions where the system is operating at its limit and market debts are accumulating. What was your most difficult professional case during the great war, when you had to find a non-standard solution to preserve the company’s financial stability amidst market chaos?
— The hardest professional period is when generation is limited, but responsibility increases.
A particularly difficult challenge was the moment when the IPS (Integrated Power System) and the Burshtyn Energy Island were united, and generation restrictions from RES were introduced at the command of the Transmission System Operator. A paradoxical situation arose: we had capacity at our facilities, but we couldn’t deliver it to the system, while all responsibility for imbalances remained on us.
During this period, the company’s financial stability depended significantly not so much on output, but on the accuracy of forecasts, discipline in risk management, and speed of decision-making. We rebuilt forecast models, strengthened internal coordination, and were able to pass this stage without critical losses. This was an important lesson: RES must be not only “green” but also manageable—ready to work under conditions of systemic restrictions and non-standard regimes.
I want to share another trial for our group: at the end of 2021, we started the construction of a 59 MW wind power plant. This was supposed to be the next stage in our portfolio development, clearly planned, fully funded, and with agreed schedules. But in a matter of weeks, the situation changed completely.
The first days of the full-scale invasion became the moment when international partners, contractors, and suppliers—quite rationally from their point of view—began one by one to suspend work and refuse to fulfill contracts due to military risks. We found ourselves in a situation where equipment was “stuck” in warehouses, logistics were not working, and none of the key executors could guarantee even minimal deadlines.
For us, this was not just a challenge—it was a test of our ability to keep the project alive in an environment where normal business rules did not apply. We took over part of the critical work with our own team and engaged Ukrainian contractors who agreed to work where international companies could no longer operate.
This case gave us an understanding of a simple but very important principle: infrastructure projects in Ukraine today are not just about investments, but about resilience, adaptability, and the readiness to work in conditions where there are no guarantees, only responsibility.
— The second panel of the forum is dedicated to recovery strategies and the “green transition.” Everyone is talking about decentralization now. The Eco-Optima Group has effectively been the embodiment of this decentralization for many years. From your practical experience: what is the biggest barrier today to an even faster rollout of distributed generation—money, regulation, or technical grid limitations?
— When we talk about distributed generation, we cannot single out one solitary barrier. In fact, today the market has enough incentives for its development: there is investor interest, there is a system need, and there is political and regulatory support.
At the same time, a number of technical limitations remain. Ukrainian grids were historically designed for a different architecture—for centralized generation (TPPs and NPPs) with a one-way flow of energy. Distributed generation requires a different approach, one that is more flexible and multi-point. Therefore, it is the technical capabilities and realities of the grids that are the key factor today determining the pace of scaling distributed generation, as well as the availability of resources (gas, biofuel, nuclear fuel, etc.), rather than a lack of investment or political will.
Separately, it is important to note that every producer must responsibly approach the implementation of their own EMS (Energy Management Systems) and control means. Without this, there is a risk of creating additional load on the energy system and disrupting its stability.
— It is impossible to talk about RES development without mentioning energy storage systems, especially when the enemy strikes maneuvering generation. is your company considering implementing such solutions? Do you see a business model in this that will allow you to become a more predictable and valuable player for the Transmission System Operator?
— In the context of integration with ENTSO-E and war risks, the issue of energy storage is becoming not just relevant—it is a mandatory component of RES. Energy storage allows for stabilizing frequency, maintaining balance in the energy system, reducing producer imbalances, and shifting the surplus of daytime hours to evening peaks.
For ourselves, we are already implementing the RES + BESS model, and we are also actively researching and evaluating other possible development models to ensure system flexibility and resilience in the long term. In particular, the group is considering “green” hydrogen projects with Austrian colleagues, and we are also working in the direction of small modular reactors (SMRs).
— There is a stereotype that the renewable energy sector, being young and innovative, is more open to female leadership than traditional “heavy” energy. Do you agree with this statement based on your own experience? And why, in your opinion, is it important for the voice of female leaders in the “green” sector to sound loudly at our forum in December 2025?
— One could say there is a percentage of truth in this statement. If we talk about our group of companies, it is a space where female leaders primarily bring their expertise, new perspectives, and flexibility of thinking.
At the same time, from my own experience, I can say that even in the “green” sector, challenges related to traditional perceptions of energy and managerial roles remain. Therefore, the active participation of female leaders is not only symbolic but practical: it helps shape a culture of inclusivity, improves the quality of decision-making, and stimulates innovation.
At the forum in December 2025, it is important for the voice of female leaders to sound loudly because it demonstrates: the energy of the future is a sector where experience, competencies, and strategic vision are more important than stereotypes. This is a signal to young professionals that the development of RES is possible only with a diversity of opinions and approaches.
