Buying an energy project before its grid connection is complete
Check an energy project's grid connection in Ukraine: capacity evidence, remaining works, contract validity, cost, timing and separate BESS import/export limits.
Jurisdiction: Ukraine. Sources reviewed . Periodic review required. Next scheduled editorial review: . Material rule changes require earlier review.
A project without a completed grid connection can still be investable. The investor needs a documented path from today’s position to usable import or export capacity, with a budget, responsibilities and a realistic timetable.
The key is to find out what “connection secured” actually means. An application, a technical proposal, a signed agreement and an energised installation are different stages.
Separate four capacity figures
Table — scroll horizontally if needed
| Capacity description | What it tells you | Evidence to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Requested | What the applicant asked for | Submitted application and its scope |
| Offered or specified | What the operator’s proposal or technical conditions describe | Current operator documents and conditions |
| Contracted | What the signed package provides for, subject to its terms | Agreement, technical conditions and amendments |
| Connected and usable | What has been completed and can be used within applicable limits | Completion and energisation records, metering arrangements and operating restrictions |
These are analytical categories for reviewing a project, not a substitute for the terminology used in its legal documents.
For a battery energy storage system, or BESS, show charging and discharge separately. A 20 MW battery does not establish a right to import or export 20 MW. For solar, panel capacity in megawatt-peak direct current (MWp DC) is also distinct from the grid export limit.
Read the whole connection package
Under Article 21 of the Electricity Market Law, connection is provided through a connection agreement, with procedures governed by the relevant system codes. Technical conditions are part of the legal and technical package. Reading only their first page is insufficient.
Request the agreement, all annexes and amendments, technical conditions, payment history, design correspondence and completion records. Identify the actual applicant and operator. Check whether any part of the route uses another owner’s network or land.
Then turn the documents into a work schedule. For every unfinished item, name the party responsible, the cost, the prerequisite and the evidence of completion. “Operator works” is too broad if it covers a transformer, a line upgrade and commissioning activities with different dependencies.
Check time, validity and change
Compare the dates in the agreement with the model’s first-revenue date. Check the validity of technical conditions, the conditions for extending them and whether the required steps have actually been completed. Article 21 contains a duration and extension framework; its application may depend on the project’s history and relevant transitional provisions.
Ask what happens if the applicant, design, capacity or connection configuration changes. Do not assume that buying equipment or a development package also transfers the relevant contractual position.
Use dated written confirmation for material uncertainties. A developer’s forecast of the connection date is an assumption, even if the developer has experience. It becomes stronger evidence when supported by an agreed programme and verified progress, but it is still not a guarantee of delivery.
Test the budget beyond the connection fee
The investor should understand all work necessary to reach the usable connection point. Depending on the project, that may involve equipment, civil works, line routes, access rights, protection systems, communications, metering, testing and owner-side design.
Check which costs are included in a quoted connection amount and which remain with the project company. Record the currency, value-added tax treatment, quote validity and contingency. Avoid using an old quote as today’s fixed budget.
Table — scroll horizontally if needed
| Risk | Practical test | Possible commercial response |
|---|---|---|
| External network work is unfinished | Confirm scope, funding and current progress | Delay closing or link part of payment to evidence |
| A route crosses third-party land | Review the required access rights | Require the rights before the relevant works |
| Connection timing drives the return | Run a delayed-start case with extra costs | Reduce price or increase committed funding |
| Import capacity is below the BESS plan | Model charging within the actual limit | Change the operating model or seek a revised route |
| Solar and storage share an export limit | Test simultaneous operation | Adjust dispatch and revenue assumptions |
These responses are negotiation options. Their enforceability and usefulness depend on the contracts and counterparties.
Model the connection that exists
Consider an invented 10 MW / 20 MWh battery project with a 4 MW import limit. Ignoring losses, charging an empty 20 MWh battery from the grid would take at least five hours at that limit. Losses and operating constraints increase the requirement. A model that assumes a two-hour charge at 10 MW is inconsistent with that grid position.
The legal distinction also matters. Article 30-1 of the Electricity Market Law requires battery import and export to remain within the permitted capacities at the connection point. Equipment capability does not override those limits.
Run at least one delay scenario and one lower-capacity scenario. Include interest, site costs, delayed collections and any equipment storage costs. The acquisition price is only one part of the capital at risk before revenue starts.
Your next step
Write down the minimum connection evidence you require and the grid risks you are prepared to fund. Share your investment criteria with Tillerstone to support a relevant project search.
Legal sources checked through Mitralex on 25 September 2026. This is a diligence framework, not a determination of the connection procedure or deadline applicable to a particular project.