The upcoming heating season will be not just a test, but a true battle for survival for Ukraine's energy sector. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, speaking at the Forbes Ukraine conference, outlined the scale of changes the country's infrastructure will undergo. The goal is simple and harsh: to survive the strategy of attrition being implemented by the enemy.
Russia is using tactics aimed at forcing Ukraine to consume resources faster than it can restore them. Shmyhal warned that an extraordinary crisis lies ahead, and the enemy will attempt to cut the country off from nuclear generation. To counter this, Kyiv is changing the very architecture of the energy system.
The Logic of "Energy Hives"
The key element of the new strategy is moving away from a monolithic structure in favor of a multi-level system. The Minister called this approach the logic of "energy hives." The essence of the concept is simple: if the system consists of many interconnected but autonomous elements, a strike on one of them will not lead to the collapse of the entire structure.
A crucial aspect of this reorganization is geography. The Dnipro River divides the energy system into two disproportionate zones — the Right Bank and the Left Bank. It is the eastern part of the country, the Left Bank, that has become a priority for the Cabinet of Ministers. The task is to make this region self-sufficient and minimize the transmission of huge volumes of electricity between zones, which reduces risks in the event of a break in the main lines.
Digitalization and New Capacities
To coordinate the work of the "energy hives," deep digitalization will be implemented. System management will become transparent at all levels — from a household meter to a nuclear power plant. This will allow for the rapid redistribution of resources and the localization of the consequences of attacks.
Decisions have already been approved to launch tenders for the construction of new generation capacity. Within three months, tenders for a total capacity of 1.4 GW will be announced. These capacities will become the foundation for a new, more resilient architecture of Ukraine's energy sector.
Preparations for winter began back in spring. According to the basic scenario, by the start of the heating season, 14.6 billion cubic meters of gas must be stored in gas storage facilities. The National Security and Defense Council has already approved energy resilience plans for regional centers, calculated for the autumn-winter period of 2026/2027, taking into account constant threats to critical infrastructure.