Ukraine’s energy giant DTEK has launched the country’s largest battery storage project – a 200 megawatt (MW) system to stabilize the grid.
The project, built in partnership with US firm Fluence Energy, consists of six battery storage systems. Ranging from 20 to 50 MW each, the systems are connected to the power grid in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Russia’s recent strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities – from gas pipelines to power grids – have raised concerns about Kyiv’s ability to keep power stable this winter as demand spikes.
DTEK said the new project can store 400 MWh of electricity, which it said is enough to power 600,000 Ukrainian homes simultaneously for two hours.
Unlike generators, the system stores energy and helps maintain a stable electricity supply, thereby reducing the risk of power outages if other power sources fail.
“The new systems will increase the security of electricity supply and reduce the risk of outages and accidents, especially in the event of a breakdown in manoeuvrable generation,” DTEK wrote in its press release.
Energy Minister Svitlana Grinchuk said energy storage projects like the latest one are as important as power plants, which were the main targets in Moscow’s 2024 summer attacks.
“In the context of large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, the role of energy storage systems has become just as fundamental as energy generation itself,” Grinchuk was quoted as saying in the press release.
DTEK said it invested €125 million ($146.5 million) in the project, which was built over six months from March to August 2025 – a faster delivery than similar projects, according to DTEK.
Fluence Energy, which partnered with DTEK, said the battery storage system is the “first project Fluence has commissioned fully remotely,” where it helped train 20 Ukrainian power engineers at Fluence’s project sites in Germany and Finland.
In its press release, Fluence said the remote commissioning model helped expedite project execution.
The US Embassy in Ukraine also praised the project as an example of private investment supporting Ukraine’s recovery, a model endorsed by US President Donald Trump.
“And so DTEK and Fluence’s partnership is an example of President Trump’s vision of Ukraine’s recovery that is Ukrainian-led and private sector-driven,” said US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine Julie Davis, per a US embassy press release.
With the dismantling of USAID, the Trump administration is shifting support for Ukraine from government aid to private investment – a transition that has reportedly impacted Ukraine’s energy recovery efforts.
DTEK shareholder Rinat Akhmetov also thanked the US for its support.
“Our energy sector, having withstood countless and horrendous Russian attacks, now gains new momentum: we are launching a cutting-edge energy storage system – unique not only for Ukraine, but for Western nations as well. Deep thanks to our American partners for making this possible,” Akhmetov said in a press release.
As Russia continues to target Ukraine’s power grid, businesses are also seeking ways to secure their own energy supplies.
Many are implementing projects to operate independently while also feeding excess power back to the state-owned Ukrenergo. Ukrainian banks have supported these efforts through energy loans, helping businesses and households restore infrastructure.
As of September 2025, such financing has contributed to restoring 1 gigawatt (GW) of generation capacity, according to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).