The OKKO Group, which includes the operator of the Galnaftogaz concern’s network of gas stations, plans to commission its first 147 MW wind farm in Ivanychi, Volyn Oblast, by the end of 2025 or the first quarter of 2026, said Vasyl Danylak, CEO of OKKO GROUP holding and co-founder of GORO Mountain Resort.
“I hope that by the end of this year, or possibly in the first quarter of next year, we will commission a 147 MW wind farm, which we are building jointly with the EBRD, IFC, and CDB,” Danylak said during the Kyiv International Economic Forum in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to him, the Group has already “launched” a new wind energy project next to the first one – the 192 MW Zatyrintsy wind farm.
In addition, Danylak noted that OKKO has completed the first phase of its bioethanol plant and is building the GORO Mountain Resort hotel complex at a “good pace.”
“We have built the silo section and completed construction work on the large bioethanol plant itself, and we plan to commission it next year. Our hotel has been under construction for a year now, and progress is very good. I hope that in the coming years we will make a big mark on the tourist map not only of Ukraine but also of Europe,” the head of OKKO shared his plans.
He noted that the Group is motivated to make large investments by new opportunities that have recently opened up.
“On the one hand, the war is a great tragedy that has exposed a number of problems in various sectors, particularly in energy. It turned out that the huge Soviet energy facilities were vulnerable. Therefore, the government and the Ministry of Energy set a course for decentralization of power generation. This is absolutely right. At that time, we had a shrinking fuel market and decided to work in related industries,” explained Danylyak.
He cited the transparency of the company’s activities, the clear fulfillment of its obligations, and a professional, motivated team as the keys to OKKO’s success and active cooperation with international financial organizations.
As reported, over the next five years, OKKO plans to have approximately 600 MW of capacity in wind energy, 200 MW in solar energy, and 150 MW in energy storage facilities (ESF).
In particular, the OKKO Group is building the 147 MW Ivanychi WPP in the Volyn region with a total cost of EUR 225 million (excluding VAT) and is seeking financing for its second wind energy project in this region – the 192 MW Zatyrintsy WPP, which is estimated at EUR 250 million (excluding VAT).
The Group also won a five-year special auction held by NPC Ukrenergo for the provision of power system balancing services, in which it announced the installation of a 20 MW energy storage facility (ESF). The commissioning of the ESF was announced in April.
In addition, the group plans to open a new 60,000-tonne elevator by autumn 2025 and a bioethanol plant in summer 2026. An important component of OKKO’s agricultural portfolio is its partnership with the Gadz-Agro enterprise in the Ternopil region, in which the company acquired a stake in 2023. The company cultivates 26,000 hectares of land and has about 10,000 head of cattle, of which 5,000 are dairy cows. It is also one of the largest horticultural farms in Ukraine, but OKKO has decided not to integrate the horticultural part of the business.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diverse businesses in the fields of manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, services, and other services. The flagship company of the group is Halnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest petrol station chains in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with almost 400 petrol stations.
The founder and ultimate beneficiary of the group is Vitaliy Antonov.
