The country enters 2026 with the return of energy anxiety as a routine. Newly appointed Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal publicly outlined a set of steps that should "tighten up" the system after strikes and blackouts. However, in professional circles, these decisions are perceived more as a list of quick managerial gestures, where the biggest problems lie not in the technical field, but in the legal sphere, finance, and future responsibility.
On Friday, January 16, the newly elected First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, announced a number of anti-crisis measures that should help overcome the consequences of the blackout in Ukraine and prevent new ones provoked by shelling from the Russian Armed Forces. The plan provides for changes at all levels, starting from the preparation and deployment of new "points of invincibility" and ending with new conditions for the purchase, distribution, and use of electricity. What this will mean in practice for Ukrainians and whether "Shmyhal's plan" will help maintain and restore the energy independence of the state, UNN investigated together with an expert.
New points of invincibility, import, and manual distribution of resources: how the Ministry of Energy wants to overcome blackouts
First, let's recall what steps Denys Shmyhal proposed to bring the country out of the energy crisis. The head of the relevant ministry made a series of posts about most of them on his Telegram channel.
Among them is the possibility of involving brigades from other regions to connect generators in apartment buildings.
The next step is to simplify the connection of cogeneration units, modular boiler houses, gas turbine and gas piston units to increase distributed generation. For each stage, performers are offered no more than 48 hours.
"We have situations when equipment has been brought in, but due to technical delays and unprepared documentation, its installation is delayed," emphasized Shmyhal.
Another anti-crisis measure from the Ministry of Energy is to increase the number of points of invincibility. Special attention is to be paid to Kyiv, although it is stated that other regions are also in focus. Support points, which will be provided with additional equipment for heating, food, charging gadgets, communication, have already been identified.
In addition, Denys Shmyhal emphasizes the need to inventory the resources necessary for the country's energy resilience and "redistribute them so that assistance goes primarily to those who need it most."
Separately, the new head of the Ministry of Energy addressed Ukrainian businesses.
"I appeal to businesses with an urgent request to turn off outdoor advertising: backlights, screens, and other large energy-intensive structures. If you have excess energy, instead of bright advertising, give it to people," he emphasized.
There are also requirements for state organizations. Thus, "Ukrzaliznytsia," "Naftogaz," and "Ukroboronprom" were instructed to urgently ensure the purchase of imported electricity in volumes of at least 50% of their own consumption.
If we talk about the international dimension, then in the relevant ministry:
- expect powerful generators, electricity storage devices, power elements, transformers, repair tools, equipment from international partners (without specifying specific allied countries and organizations in general);
- increase electricity imports from the EU (Thus, the maximum import capacity is currently 2.3 GW).
Also, the First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Energy of Ukraine emphasized: strengthening the protection of energy facilities is on the agenda. According to him, more than UAH 50 billion has been allocated for work on protecting energy infrastructure.
And the Government, given the introduction of a state of emergency in energy, which President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on January 15, resorted to changing the rules regarding the "curfew." From now on, during it, people will be allowed to go out without special passes and use transport to get to points of invincibility and heating points. In fact, the same approach will apply as to the movement of citizens during an air raid alarm.
Electricity saving "in Ukrainian": where anti-crisis ends and risks begin
To explain the effectiveness and realism of the measures announced by the head of the relevant ministry, UNN asked Yuriy Korolchuk, co-founder of the Institute of Energy Strategies and an expert. He admits: each of these tools "has the right to exist." But in parallel, they are associated with systemic risks that can nullify the effect or turn anti-crisis solutions into future lawsuits and problems for the state budget.
48 hours for permits: saving time or a debt for the future?
The most resonant part of the "energy package," which refers to simplifying the connection of cogeneration units, modular boiler houses, gas turbine and gas piston units, according to the UNN interlocutor, is not about the technical possibility of connecting new capacities, but about deviating from existing procedures. If the state, in fact, accelerates the permitting system by administrative decision, and not by changes in law, there is a risk of the legitimacy of such permits in the future.
"(We are deviating — ed.) from the norms prescribed in the legislation. Honestly, for example, if something happens, will there be serious global conflicts regarding when decisions will be made that, come on, within 48 hours you must issue a permit for the installation of this unit. And it, for example, gives more CO2 emissions. And we signed an agreement (on emissions - ed.) with the European Union, we need to reduce them, and we cannot do it. Do you understand the contradiction?" — Korolchuk explained.
Then, according to him, the classic chain will come into motion: appeals, cancellations, compensations, long-term disputes. For the economy, this means higher legal uncertainty for investors and contractors, more expensive contracts, and risk insurance.
In addition, there is a main stop factor that no resolution solves: money. Yuriy Korolchuk explains: permitting barriers are important, but even more often the process stops at financing. Contracting companies that can actually install and connect equipment do not work "on credit" and do not start without advances, materials, and a clear payment schedule. And municipalities in wartime often physically do not have the resources to pay quickly.
"As a result, the state can get a formally accelerated procedure, but in fact the same pauses at the stage: 'give an advance,' 'pay for materials,' 'no money.' This means that the '48-hour' effect easily turns into an informational, not an infrastructural one," summarizes the co-founder of the Institute of Energy Strategies.
Points of invincibility: quantity versus quality
Regarding the increase in points of invincibility, Yuriy Korolchuk is also skeptical.
According to him, the concept often comes down to minimal functionality: "charge your phone and warm up." The lack of fuel for generators and varying levels of organization reduce the real value of the network.
There is another, less public, but economically important aspect: a network of points without stable provision turns into a constant expense item for local budgets (fuel, logistics, security, personnel, repairs), while the return is not always measured.
"In a crisis, all this is still necessary, but as a tool for correcting the system, it does not work," emphasizes the energy expert.
Inventory of resources and the risk of manual mode
The "slippery" part of the package, according to the UNN interlocutor, is the "redistribution of resources": the wording is too general and opens the door to manual control.
"What resources are meant: electricity, gas, fuel, equipment, reserve capacities? Gas is also a resource... Uncertainty creates room for selective decisions," says Korolchuk.
As an example, the expert cites the logic using the example of fuel for generators: if a region without an acute situation receives more than it needs, and critical points are undersupplied, this is a matter of management and control. In manual mode, without transparent criteria, "redistribution" easily turns into a source of new corruption suspicions.
Electricity imports from the EU: expensive, limited, with losses for state-owned companies
The expert calls the point about increasing electricity imports economically ambiguous.
First, the state does not always transparently explain the actual price and financial burden (for the budget and for state-owned companies).
"No one has yet revealed to us how much we pay for all this. This means not the population, but the state. Because private business does not buy much, in fact. There is a maximum capacity that we can import: 2.450, even more, megawatts, 2.450. We cannot really choose that much," explains Yuriy Korolchuk.
Secondly, according to him, imports have a physical "ceiling" in terms of overflows: it is impossible to increase them indefinitely.
Thirdly, as the expert notes, daily imports are often more expensive, and therefore require a decision: who to force to buy more expensive electricity.
Thus, part of the load can be "shifted" to large consumers from the state sector (such as "Ukrzaliznytsia" or "Naftogaz") for their operational needs. This does not mean automatic huge losses, but it also does not create profit: buying a more expensive resource for own consumption worsens the financial result, and therefore increases the risk of needing budget support or cross-subsidization.
"I don't think there will be such huge losses there, yes. But, yes, they (state-owned companies — ed.) will definitely not earn from this, because they buy for their own needs, not for resale," emphasizes Korolchuk.
Curfew and "night routes" to points of invincibility: why the effect of a drop in the ocean may arise
The permission to move during curfew to points of invincibility was assessed by the energy expert as a decision with minimal practical effect: he suggested that only a few would use it.
From a security point of view, the logic is clear (fewer conflicts with patrols), but as an instrument of energy policy, it is rather a symbolic step that does not change the balance of generation and network limitations.
Korolchuk sees the root of the energy crisis that millions of Ukrainians have faced in recent weeks in the "under-repaired system" and intensified missile and drone attacks by the enemy on the country's energy system.
The expert's key conclusion is as follows: the problem did not appear suddenly. Frosts and attacks only "highlighted" what was already a weak point. Even without extreme weather conditions and without new shelling, restrictions on electricity consumption, according to his assessment, would still exist, because the infrastructure entered the season unprepared: substations were repaired in operational mode instead of full equipment replacement. And the success of passing last winter was partly explained by milder weather conditions, and not at all by the completed restoration of the energy system.
Emergency shutdowns, problems with heat and food: how Ukraine lives now
As of January 16, 2026, Ukraine's energy system remains damaged due to massive missile and drone attacks by the Russian Armed Forces in recent days.
Just over the past day, Russian troops attacked energy infrastructure in several regions. As a result, thousands of residents of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions were left without electricity.
Electricity consumption remains high. Therefore, hourly shutdown schedules are in effect for all categories of consumers, as well as power limitation schedules for industry. In several regions, emergency shutdowns are applied due to equipment overload.
The situation remains tense in Kyiv and Kyiv region, where ordinary citizens, businesses, institutions, and educational institutions were left without electricity. In some places, due to problems with light and heat, people experienced a shortage of food.
Due to a combination of factors, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced a state of emergency in energy.