The war is accelerating Ukraine’s transition to renewable energy sources.

By continuously attacking Ukraine’s energy sector for two years, Russia has inadvertently accelerated the country’s transition to ecologically friendly energy sources. Due to Russian airstrikes, Ukraine has lost approximately nine of the 18 GW of energy production capacity that will be needed for peak consumption this winter.

Ukrainian government officials are trying to find enough equipment from abroad to keep power outages under control. However, the government has also started buying small gas turbines, expected to generate between 0.5 and 1 GW of capacity. Thousands of such installations may appear throughout the country. Experts say that wind and solar power plants will make it much more difficult for Russian missiles to target the energy system.

However, Ukraine faces the problem of attracting investors. The EBRD notes that major international players “will not be too eager to invest in Ukraine during the war.” Another challenge is convincing insurance companies to provide coverage for war risks. Implementing the clean energy plan will require significant financial costs and a take a long time to complete. However, Ukraine must start this process immediately to prepare for upcoming winters.