Abstract
The digital transformation of Ukraine’s energy sector is highly uneven, and this unevenness is becoming increasingly visible at the regional rather than the national level. With average household smart metering coverage of around 24% at the end of 2025, the gap between the leading oblast and the oblasts of critical lag reaches almost fifteenfold. This raises doubts about the ability of a single regulatory policy to influence all territories equally. The regional dimension of energy digitalization remains underexplored in public administration scholarship, although it is precisely at the oblast and community levels that digital assets may become tools for managing energy resilience. The article aims to identify the factors of regional leadership in the digital modernization of energy infrastructure and to assess the conditions under which technical leadership translates into managerial effectiveness. The study applies comparative inter-regional analysis, the case method, and an original four-factor model explaining the preconditions for advanced adoption. The empirical basis includes data from DiXi Group, NEURC materials, and information from the regional authorities of Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. The results show that Prykarpattia’s advanced level of digitalization, where smart metering coverage reached 44.9% at the end of 2025 against a national average of 24%, stems from a combination of four factors: the corporate strategy of the distribution system operator, the regulatory tariff incentive, the presence of certain critical energy infrastructure facilities in the region, and relative rear-area stability under conditions of armed aggression. It is established that technical leadership does not automatically translate into managerial effectiveness. Despite the presence of roughly 7,500 small and distributed generation facilities in the region, this potential has not yet been realized in the form of aggregated flexibility or manageable balancing resources. The article substantiates that scaling regional success requires a shift in regulatory logic: from a model in which operators may invest in digitalization to one in which they have a clear obligation, an economic incentive, and a controlled investment mechanism. Further research should focus on mechanisms for integrating regional distributed generation into the national balancing system through the DataHub platform.
References
1. Aliiev, M. (2025). Tsyfrovizatsiia publichnoho upravlinnia u sferi natsionalnoi bezpeky: svitovi tendentsii ta rekomendatsii dlia Ukrainy [Digitalization of public administration in the field of national security: Global trends and recommendations for Ukraine]. Tavriiskyi naukovyi visnyk. Seriia: Ekonomika – Tavriiskyi naukovyi visnyk. Series: Economics, (25), 156–164. https://doi.org/10.32782/2708-0366/2025.25.18 (in Ukrainian)
2. Alsaigh, R., Mehmood, R., & Katib, I. (2023). AI explainability and governance in smart energy systems: A review. Frontiers in Energy Research, (11), 1071291. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1071291
3. DiXi Group. (2026). Ukraine increases smart electricity metering: 24% of consumers already have smart meters. Energy Map. https://dixigroup.org/en/ukraine-increases-smart-electricity-metering-24-of-consumers-already-have-smart-meters/
4. JSC Ukrtransgaz. (n.d.). Underground gas storage facilities. https://utg.ua/utg/psg/underground-gas-storages/
5. Koroliuk, T., & Zvierievych, Yu. (2024). Derzhavna polityka rozvytku vidnovliuvalnoi enerhetyky v Ukraini [State policy of renewable energy development in Ukraine]. Derzhavne budivnytstvo – State Formation, 2(36), 83–99. https://doi.org/10.26565/1992-2337-2024-2-06 (in Ukrainian)
6. Kovalenko, Yu., Lazarenko, D., & Marchenko, O. (2024). Enerhetychna bezpeka krainy pid chas viiny: bariery ta perspektyvy podolannia [Energy security of the country during the war: Barriers and prospects for overcoming]. Visnyk Khmelnytskoho natsionalnoho universytetu. Seriia: Ekonomichni nauky – Herald of Khmelnytskyi National University. Economic Sciences, (1), 262–266. https://doi.org/10.31891/2307-5740-2024-326-41 (in Ukrainian)
7. Kurylo, I. (2025). Okremi aspekty pravovoho rehuliuvannia u sferi vidnovliuvanoi enerhetyky v konteksti yevrointehratsii [Certain aspects of legal regulation in the field of renewable energy in the context of European integration]. Pravovi novely – Legal Novels, (26). https://doi.org/10.32782/ln.2025.26.10 (in Ukrainian)
8. Kvitka, S., Korsun, V., & Mahylias, Yu. (2024). Tsyfrova transformatsiia publichnoho upravlinnia: perspektyvni napriamy doslidzhen [Digital transformation of public administration: Promising areas of research]. Aspekty publichnoho upravlinnia – Public Administration Aspects, 12(3), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.15421/152437 (in Ukrainian)
9. Lisovyi, A. (2024). Enerhetychna bezpeka Ukrainy: druhyi rik viiny [Energy security of Ukraine: The second year of the war]. Modeling the Development of the Economic Systems, (1), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.31891/mdes/2024-11-17 (in Ukrainian)
10. Lisovyi, A., & Andrukh, O. (2025). Enerhetychna bezpeka Ukrainy: vyklyky viiny ta perspektyvy vidnovlennia ekonomichnoho potentsialu [Energy security of Ukraine: Challenges of the war and prospects for restoring economic potential]. Ukrainskyi ekonomichnyi chasopys – Ukrainian Economic Journal, (8), 40–43. https://doi.org/10.32782/2786-8273/2025-8-7 (in Ukrainian)
11. Maslak, O., & Kuz, A. (2024). Napriamky transformatsii upravlinnia pidpryiemstvamy v umovakh perekhodu do zelenoi enerhetyky [Directions of enterprise management transformation in the context of transition to green energy]. Ekonomika ta suspilstvo – Economy and Society, (61), 55–59. https://doi.org/10.32782/2524-0072/2024-61-97 (in Ukrainian)
12. Murasov, R., Faraon, S., & Huk, O. (2025). Kiberbezpeka krytychnoi infrastruktury: otsiniuvannia ta upravlinnia ryzykamy kiberatak [Critical infrastructure cybersecurity: Assessment and management of cyberattack risks]. Suchasni informatsiini tekhnolohii u sferi bezpeky ta oborony – Modern Information Technologies in the Sphere of Security and Defence, 54(3), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.33099/2311-7249/2025-54-3-75-83 (in Ukrainian)
13. Na Frankivshchyni kilkist soniachnykh elektrostantsii zrosla maizhe na 40% [In the Frankivsk region, the number of solar power plants has increased by almost 40%]. (2026). Ratusha. https://www.ratusha.if.ua/na-prykarpatti-za-rik-kilkist-soniachnykh-elektrostantsij-zrosla-majzhe-na-40/ (in Ukrainian)
14. Pro vstanovlennia taryfiv na posluhy z rozpodilu elektrychnoi enerhii AT “Prykarpattiaoblenerho” iz zastosuvanniam stymuliuiuchoho rehuliuvannia [On setting tariffs for electricity distribution services of JSC Prykarpattiaoblenergo with the application of incentive regulation] (Resolution No. 2216 of December 19, 2024). (2024). National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission of Ukraine. https://www.nerc.gov.ua/ (in Ukrainian)
15. Saprykin, V. (2024). Otsyfrovuvannia, tsyfrovizatsiia ta tsyfrova transformatsiia publichnoho upravlinnia v Ukraini [Digitization, digitalization and digital transformation of public administration in Ukraine]. Visnyk Kyivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka. Derzhavne upravlinnia – Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Public Administration, 19(1), 116–121. https://doi.org/10.17721/2616-9193.2024/19-19/22 (in Ukrainian)
16. Shulzhyk, Yu., Kvasnii, Z., Melnyk, O.-A., & Strohush, Yu. (2025). Tsyfrova transformatsiia terytorialnykh hromad Ukrainy: vyklyky ta perspektyvy [Digital transformation of territorial communities of Ukraine: Challenges and prospects]. Aktualni pytannia ekonomichnykh nauk – Topical Issues of Economic Sciences, (8). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14942699 (in Ukrainian)
17. Sovacool, B. K., Hook, A., Sareen, S., & Geels, F. W. (2021). Global sustainability, innovation and governance dynamics of national smart electricity meter transitions. Global Environmental Change, (68), 102272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102272
18. Sorokina, N., & Filatov, V. (2025). Tsyfrovizatsiia publichnoho upravlinnia v Ukraini: teoretychnyi aspekt [Digitalization of public administration in Ukraine: Theoretical aspect]. Aspekty publichnoho upravlinnia – Public Administration Aspects, 13(1), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.15421/152509 (in Ukrainian)
19. Trypolska, G., Kubatko, O., & Prokopenko, O. (2025). Establishing Solar Energy Cooperatives in Ukraine: Regional Considerations and a Practical Guide. Energies, 18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/en18143623
20. Zvarych, R., & Kharkovskyi, B. (2025). Smart integration of Ukraine’s energy system into the single energy market of the EU: Challenges and prospects. Journal of European Economy, 24(2), 246–266. https://doi.org/10.35774/jee2025.02.246
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Oleh Kotsiubynskyi