Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk highlighted a clear direction for Ukraine’s future energy system: resilient, decentralised, renewable and closely integrated with the European energy market.

Hydrogen Ukraine was represented throughout the conference by CEO Dr. Iaroslav Kryl and Founder & Chief Energy Project Manager Dr. Oleksandr Riepkin.

On 24 June, ahead of the official conference programme, Dr. Iaroslav Kryl participated in the side event “Financing Your Investment Project in Ukraine”, organised by the European Commission (DG ENEST) and UkraineInvest. The discussions focused on practical financing instruments needed to bring strategic energy and industrial projects from development to implementation.

Throughout URC2026, energy was one of the strongest themes across both the conference agenda and bilateral meetings. Confirmed agreements included financing for electricity transmission infrastructure, gas security, nuclear fuel supply and distributed energy solutions. The discussions consistently emphasised:
• accelerating the deployment of decentralised renewable energy systems;
• expanding energy storage to strengthen system flexibility and resilience;
• attracting investment into bankable clean energy projects;
• deeper integration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with the European market.

During the conference, we also had a constructive meeting with colleagues from the Gas TSO of Ukraine. We discussed the future role of Ukraine’s gas transmission infrastructure within the emerging European hydrogen network, as well as the opportunities for transporting renewable hydrogen between Ukraine and the EU. As Europe’s hydrogen backbone continues to take shape, Ukraine’s existing transmission system remains one of its key strategic assets.

One notable observation from URC2026 is that hydrogen is increasingly being discussed not as a standalone technology, but as part of integrated industrial ecosystems—combining renewable electricity, energy storage, resilient infrastructure, digitalisation and cross-border market integration. This integrated approach is exactly what underpins Hydrogen Ukraine’s project portfolio, from renewable hydrogen production to infrastructure planning and future exports to the European market.