As part of the international cooperation between the Ukrainian community of Ovruch and the French agglomeration of Saint-Brieuc, an international webinar was held on the development of renewable energy sources and the role of communities in planning the energy transition.
The event was organised within the framework of the project “Support for the Energy Transition in Ovruch and Saint-Brieuc (2025-2027)”, which aims to develop cooperation between Ukrainian and French municipalities in the field of energy transformation, energy resilience and sustainable community development. The initiative is supported by the ALDA network and promotes the development of decentralised international partnerships between local governments. The webinar was coordinated by the team of the LDA Ovruch, which acts as a platform for the development of international community cooperation and promotes the involvement of European partners in supporting local sustainable development initiatives.
The webinar became a platform for sharing experiences and discussing approaches to planning and implementing renewable energy sources at the local level, in particular, taking into account the challenges of energy security and climate transformation.
Local energy context and challenges
The event was opened by Ivan Korud, Mayor of Ovruch, who presented the local context of energy development and stressed the importance of strengthening the energy resilience of Ukrainian communities, especially in times of war and risks to energy infrastructure.
Vitaliy Volkov, National Expert of the Covenant of Mayors East Project in Ukraine, stressed the importance of strategic energy planning at the local level and the role of international cooperation in supporting Ukrainian communities on their way to a sustainable energy transition.
The participants discussed that partnerships between Ukrainian and European municipalities can play an important role in developing local capacities and implementing modern energy solutions.
Sharing practical experience
An important part of the webinar was the exchange of practical experience in implementing renewable energy sources.
Oleksandr Goncharuk, Head of Infrastructure Projects, Energy Efficiency and Promotions at Zhytomyr City Council, presented the experience of installing renewable energy sources in public buildings in Zhytomyr and shared practical approaches to integrating such solutions into municipal infrastructure. In addition, Oleksandr spoke about how the Municipal Energy Plan of the Zhytomyr City Territorial Community for the period up to 2030 was developed.
The French partners – Jean-Marc Labbé, Vice President of the Saint-Brieuc agglomeration, Envel Gézenek, heating engineer, and Charlene Laster, Director of ALEC – presented approaches to strategic planning for the development of renewable energy sources at the territorial level in France. Their presentation focused on planning methodology, stakeholder engagement, and long-term approaches to community energy transformation.
The webinar was an important step in developing cooperation between partner communities and supporting the energy transition in the Ovruch community. For Ovruch, which is a signatory to the Covenant of Mayors initiative, such exchanges of experience contribute to strengthening the community’s capacity to implement sustainable energy policies and may be useful for further development of the Ovruch Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), as well as for the preparation of new renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
This initiative also demonstrates how the decentralised international cooperation developed within the ALDA network can help Ukrainian communities strengthen their energy resilience and implement modern renewable energy solutions.
Further joint activities and exchanges of experience between Ovruch and Saint-Brieuc are planned as part of the project, which will contribute to the development of renewable energy and deepen cooperation between Ukrainian and European municipalities.