Yuriy Podolyak: "UZEs open a new era of stability and flexibility of the energy system"

https://www.iclub.energy/news/yuriy-podoliak-uze-vidkryvaiut-novu-epokhu-stabilnosti-ta-hnuchkosti-enerhosystemy/

November 20 in Kyiv Energy Club organizes the forum "Energy of Freedom: Sustainability and new market opportunities of energy storage systems in Ukraine". It will be devoted to technologies key to energy security, which are the key to stability and building a decentralized, modern network.

The company became a partner of the forum IKNET- an expert in the management of energy investment projects. This is a team with more than 14 years of experience that transforms complex technical schemes into clear and effective business models. The portfolio includes large industrial energy storage systems in Ukraine and large-scale solutions for business and the country's energy system. With IKNET, energy becomes clear, and investments become effective.

In an interview with the media department of Energy Club, the head of the IKNET company Yuriy Podolyak shared his vision of the development of the market of energy storage systems (BESS) in Ukraine. He talked about why USES are now becoming critically important for the stability of the UES, what business models are already working, what barriers still remain, and what strategic role these technologies will play in the post-war reconstruction of the Ukrainian energy system.

- Mr. Yuri, you became one of the main initiators of this forum. Why exactly now the topic of energy storage systems (BESS) has become so critically important for Ukraine?

- Russia's missile and drone attacks led not only to system shutdowns of the UES of Ukraine, but also to the destruction of maneuverable generation, namely CHP and HPP, which, accordingly, complicates the balancing of the energy system. Under such conditions, it is the energy storage facilities that become important for the stabilization and further modernization of the energy system. They can be implemented at all levels: in everyday life, in industry, in energy, because there are complex solutions for the implementation of BESS on different scales.

- What main goal did you, as the initiator, set for this event? What key idea do you want to convey to the market and to the authorities?

- The key idea is that the USE market in Ukraine is already functioning, we have already implemented pilot projects that confirm its effectiveness. Therefore, it can be developed in several directions at once. Moreover, it already brings real benefits in all these directions.

With our event, we aim to deliver a clear signal to investors, industrial consumers, and authorities: the UZE market has a practical basis, is working, and is ready to support the energy stability of both individual enterprises and the country as a whole. Instead, it needs competent regulation, investment, scaling.

– How would you characterize the current state of the BESS market in Ukraine? Have we already passed the stages of the idea, the first pilot projects - and already on the threshold of mass implementation?

- The idea stage was passed by the DTEK company back in 2021, when a 1 MW UZE was built as part of Zaporizhzhya CHP. The first major industrial project was implemented by the OKKO group of companies at the beginning of 2025. By the way, the IKNET company took a direct part in these projects.

So we can safely say: now we are close to the stage of mass implementation of such systems in various segments of this market.

- What are the main barriers today holding back the development of storage systems: technological, financial or regulatory?

- UZE technologies are already well developed and widely used in the world, in particular, in Europe. The legislative framework in Ukraine during 2023-2025 was developed and accordingly provided the opportunity to implement such projects - both in the segment of consumption and RES (renewable energy sources), and as separate objects. The high difference in cost between cheap and expensive electricity, the opportunity to save and even earn with the help of UZE created an economic incentive.

So for now, the only barrier remains - the understanding that it is possible and necessary to work in this market. I hope that our forum will help to finally overcome it.

– What business models for BESS do you consider to be the most promising in Ukrainian realities: work on a balancing market, services for OSR/OSP, or ensuring autonomy for industrial consumers?

- There are three segments of this market, namely the introduction of ultrasound:

as a separate object, these are large projects focused on the Transmission System Operator (“Ukrenergo”) and distribution system operators. They provide support services to maintain the frequency and stability of the entire power system;

for industrial consumers - installed at enterprises to ensure autonomy and economy. They charge when electricity is cheap and give it for their own use or sale when the market price is at its maximum;

as parts of renewable energy facilities - integrated with solar or wind power plants to store excess energy and sell it later during peak hours.

These segments are at different stages today. The first is already developing in full swing: thanks to Ukrenergo auctions, more than 500 MW of UZE have already been built and are under construction. The second is only at the beginning of this path, but has a huge potential, which we estimate at thousands of MW, since the need of enterprises for the stability of power supply and cost optimization is always high. The third segment is still "sliding", but the first project to install UZE as part of the existing solar power plant has already been implemented.

I consider each of these directions to be promising, all of them have a high potential for development in Ukrainian realities - so there will be more!

- From an investor's point of view, how "bankable" are BESS projects in Ukraine today? What needs to change to attract significant capital to this sector?

- Payback of such projects is 2-5 years, which is quite bankable. There are currently no regulatory obstacles either – a lot has been done for this at the legislative level in recent years. There are proven, reliable companies that are professionally engaged in the development and integration of such systems - IKNET is among the leaders here, so I can say this with confidence.

In order to attract capital and further develop this sector, it is necessary to conduct informational companies (such as this forum) so that investors and consumers believe in this market.

- What strategic role will storage systems play in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine's energy system? Will they become a standard piece of infrastructure like substations?

– UZE are already becoming a standard element of the United Energy System! Dozens of projects are already connected to OSP or OSR networks - and this is just the beginning! I am sure that in the future they will play a strategic role in stabilizing and ensuring the flexibility of the EU as a whole.

- On what specific aspects or practical cases from the experience of the IKNET company do you plan to focus your report at the forum on November 20?

- I will talk about the three segments of the market of energy conservation units listed above, about the economic effect within each of them. I will also demonstrate successful cases of USE implementation in Ukraine - in particular, with our direct participation. I plan to focus not so much on technical nuances, but on substantiating the investment attractiveness and overall advantages of this market. After all, I am sure, and I have every reason for this: our common energy future is behind him!


23.10.2025