KNESS co-owner: Ukraine better prepared for winter 2026/2027; businesses have improved energy independence

# Brief summary Serhiy Shakalov, CEO and co-owner of KNESS Group, said at the Forbes Ukraine Economic Resilience Forum that the business community and government are much better prepared for the 2026/2027 winter than they were for the prior season. He expressed guarded optimism based on corporate measures to secure electricity and on state-level preparation, while noting that some risks remain outside Ukraine's control.

# What Shakalov said Shakalov stated he is "confident that this winter will be better than the last one." He credited two main drivers of his optimism: stronger private-sector action to secure energy needs, and improved government preparation. He added a caveat that not everything depends on domestic actors and that "a lot depends on the actions — excuse me — of our neighbor."

# Business preparedness: what has changed Shakalov described widespread corporate efforts to reduce exposure to grid outages and fuel shortages. Concrete measures noted include:

• On-site generation assets installed by companies.
• Local distribution or microgrid investments to retain supply when transmission is disrupted.
• Energy consumption management and diversification of supply sources by corporate customers.

# KNESS Group's role and capacity KNESS Group operates in renewable energy and energy storage. Relevant figures cited by Interfax about the company's recent footprint are:

• 1.3 GW of solar power plants commissioned in Ukraine, Poland, and Latvia as of March 2025.
• 1.48 GW of power generation facilities placed under comprehensive management.
• In 2023, KNESS received Ukraine's first license for energy storage business activities.
• 100 MW of energy storage systems (ESS) commissioned in 2025, with plans to reach roughly 200 MW in 2026.

Those assets support the company's business model of delivering generation and storage that can help corporate customers secure supply and smooth demand peaks.

# Risks and what to watch this winter Shakalov's optimism is framed by concrete dependencies and uncertainties:

• External geopolitical actions can still cause disruptions that domestic preparation cannot fully mitigate.

• Progress in storage deployment and corporate investment in local generation will determine how smoothly industry can operate through cold months and possible infrastructure stress.

Watch for announcements on additional energy storage commissioning, government contingency measures for frontline and logistics-critical regions, and any large-scale corporate microgrid or captive generation projects prior to winter deployment.

# Bottom line Preparation across Ukraine has improved since last winter, driven primarily by private-sector investments in generation and storage and by stronger government planning. Those steps reduce vulnerability, especially for businesses, but external geopolitical factors and overall grid conditions will still shape outcomes for the 2026/2027 heating season.