In March 2025, Electricians Without Borders launched the PHENIX project in Ukraine, which aims to strengthen the resilience of the country’s essential services through a carbon-free and sustainable energy supply.
Spanning three years, the project plans to equip about ten essential infrastructure sites (key facilities in the education, health, and agriculture sectors) with solar solutions while training local stakeholders in their use and maintenance, and raising awareness among beneficiaries about the importance of sustainable energy solutions.
Three solar power plants have been commissioned
As part of this project, from May 16 to 23, 2026, three experts from Electricians Without Borders traveled to Ukraine, specifically to Nyzhnje Selyshche and Mlyniv (in the Transcarpathian and Rivne oblasts), where the first activities have been underway since last December.
This project, carried out in close collaboration with our local partners, CAMZ and ATDL, resulted in the commissioning of three hybrid solar installations : they are installed at a high school (25 kWp capacity), a cheese factory (35 kWp capacity), and a cannery (30 kWp capacity).
The experts were able to directly observe that the systems were functioning properly and verify that the consumption and production data matched the specifications established in advance with the local partners.
Empowerment: The First On-Site Training Session
The Electricians Without Borders team also took advantage of its time on site to provide initial training to the users of the equipment at the cheese factory and cannery, as well as to the village residents, so that they could operate the equipment independently. About fifteen people were able to learn the technical principles behind how solar systems work and were educated about the challenges of global warming. This latter topic was also explored with two groups of high school students as part of an in-class awareness session (focusing on climate, renewable energy, and careers in the energy sector), illustrated by a guided tour of the facility (inverter, batteries). This approach both introduces these issues and demonstrates to students the value of having such a system at their high school.
Feedback from the field
This visit provided an opportunity to gather initial feedback from the beneficiaries, particularly the high school staff, who emphasized that this new system—by preventing the school from experiencing the power outages that affect the village—ensures that classes can continue uninterrupted for all students.
Finally, the experts visited other facilities that could be improved as part of the project to confirm the technical potential and actual needs for the benefit of local communities: a kindergarten and an EcoHub* in Nyzhnje Selyshche, and a school and a hospital in Mlyniv. Several proposals were put forward to ensure the implementation of the actions with the greatest impact in the medium and long term.
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Ukraine: Water and Electricity—How to Address the Humanitarian Crisis?
For more than four years, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been the target of repeated attacks. Power plants, substations, and distribution networks are being targeted as part of a strategy that goes beyond the military sphere: to deprive the civilian population of electricity, water, heat, and essential services.
So when there is a shortage of water and electricity, how can we respond to the humanitarian crisis?
At the start of 2026, millions of Ukrainians were facing power outages lasting up to 18 to 20 hours a day. In response to this major energy crisis in Ukraine, Electricians Without Borders—along with its local partners and French local governments and energy sector companies that have stepped up to help—is implementing emergency solutions to maintain vital services.
From generators to convection heaters, from solar lamps to hybrid photovoltaic systems, our goal since the start of the conflict has been clear : to ensure access to essential services through energy in the hardest-hit regions.
Discover more here.
