Approximately six months ago, the Ukraine Support Team (UST) began a project to develop an Energy Plan for Ivanivska hromada, covering the period through 2030. To define the energy development goals and assess the current situation, our team conducted data collection, processing, and analysis. Based on this, UST experts identified measures and targets aimed at enhancing the community’s energy potential.

The planning process was particularly challenging due to limited access to energy data and the fact that Ivanivska hromada was under Russian occupation for 25 days. During the project’s presentation, Olga Babiy highlighted the unique nature of this initiative: nearly all key information had to be reconstructed from scratch, as most of the documentation needed for the Energy Plan had been destroyed during the fighting and occupation in 2022. Despite these difficulties, the UST team managed to recover the necessary analytics and formulate a comprehensive energy plan, including detailed assessments and project recommendations.

The significance of energy planning was also emphasized by the Head of Ivanivska hromada, Olena Shvydka, who expressed gratitude to the UST team for their support in improving local energy efficiency and for the practical consulting assistance provided during project implementation.

“We understand how difficult it is for communities to implement the decisions made at the central level. That’s why our team helps to develop concrete action plans that are adapted to the real conditions in each community,” said Olena Koltyk during the presentation.

A key highlight of the event was the overview of 23 proposed projects aimed at improving the community’s energy efficiency. These initiatives are expected to reduce energy consumption by 424 MWh. Special attention was given to heating system upgrades, building thermal modernization, and the implementation of renewable energy projects.

During the presentation, Tamara Burenko emphasized: “Our main goal is the gradual yet steady reduction of energy consumption. Every hromada must start preparing its Municipal Energy Plan (MEP) now, as they are expected to be approved by November 2025.”

It is important to note that the report developed by the UST team is intended to serve as the foundation for the preparation and official adoption of Ivanivska hromada’s local energy plan.

The project is implemented with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.