The Role of Municipal Energy Plans in Reducing Energy Consumption: Experiences from Participants in the Green Deal Ukraїna Pro Green Deal for Smart Cities Program

Abstract

Despite the ongoing Russian aggression, local communities in Ukraine must prioritise the energy and climate agenda, which is essential for Ukraine's immediate reconstruction, long-term resilience against climate change, and energy security. To effectively transition to clean energy, local communities in Ukraine have been requested by the Ministry of Infrastructure to develop municipal energy plans (MEPs). MEPs are meant to address the effective management of energy resources. They provide a systematic approach to increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RESs) in the total energy consumed by communities. In the context of the war in Ukraine, MEPs become even more relevant. Military actions have led to significant changes in the structure of energy consumption and the forced modernisation of the energy infrastructure. This has allowed local communities to reconsider their approaches to energy planning, given the new challenges and opportunities in the context of reconstruction and recovery. Interestingly, decentralisation in Ukraine is primarily driven by energy security concerns and only secondarily by the sustainability paradigm.