In the midst of its ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine’s largest private energy firm believes building wind farms could help the war-torn nation gain an advantage. However, securing investors willing to fund such construction projects in a nation engulfed by fighting has proven to be a significant challenge.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, 90% of Ukraine’s wind energy farms have either been disabled or occupied by Russian forces. The country’s energy sector suffered approximately $12 billion in damages in the past two years according to recent World Bank estimates.
Ukrainian officials asked the European Union for assistance in funding the construction and repairs needed for their energy needs. The EU has already committed nearly $1 billion to this effort since 2022. New necessary repairs are likely to cost an estimated $300 million and upwards of eight months of work.
Ukraine said Russia’s invasion has caused the country to concentrate large amounts of energy production in a few places. This created an easy target for enemy strikes to destroy critical sources of electricity. If Ukraine’s power supply was instead spread across hundreds of wind turbines, leaders in the nation’s energy sector believed the power plant would be much less vulnerable.
Despite the challenges posed by the war, the country managed to surpass the United Kingdom in wind farm construction during the first year of fighting. Ukraine is now embarking on the construction of its first wind power plant in a conflict zone. Officials said they expect it to provide energy for approximately 200,000 homes. Construction of additional wind farms is already underway.
Looking towards the future, Ukraine aims to continue investing in renewable energy technologies beyond the scope of the current conflict. The Ukrainian government set a target of transitioning half of the nation to renewable energy by 2035.