The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) plans to sign an agreement at URC 2026 to provide a long-term loan of up to 50 million euros to Volyn West Wind-2 LLC and Volyn West Wind-3 LLC (Volyn Oblast) for the development and construction of a 189 MW wind farm in Ukraine.
“The total amount of debt financing is 191.3 million euros, provided by a consortium of five international development finance institutions: IFC, EBRD (up to 50 million euros), BSTDB, BI Ukraine Limited, and Swedfund International AB,” according to the project description in the EBRD’s indicative action plan for URC 2026 on Thursday.
It is noted that the project will receive a guarantee and funds for technical assistance under the European Union’s Ukraine Investment Framework Hi-Bar program.
The loan itself will be used to finance the purchase of wind turbines, construction of the power plant’s infrastructure, civil and electrical engineering works, as well as related infrastructure.
It is noted that the borrowers are controlled by VI.AN Holding, which is part of OKKO Group AG.
As previously reported, a few days earlier, the EBRD decided to provide a long-term loan of up to 50 million euros to Volyn West Wind-2 LLC and Volyn West Wind-3 LLC for a 189 MW wind farm, while the IFC decided to provide a 42 million euro loan to these companies.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diverse businesses in the fields of manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, services, and other sectors. The group’s flagship company is the “Galnaftogaz” concern, which operates one of Ukraine’s largest gas station chains under the “OKKO” brand, comprising approximately 400 gas stations.
The founder and ultimate beneficiary of the group is Vitaliy Antonov.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has approved a decision to provide a EUR42 million long-term loan to Volyn West Wind-2 LLC and Volyn West Wind-3 LLC, both majority-owned by VI.AN Holding, a member of the OKKO Group, to finance the construction and operation of a 189 MW wind farm in Ukraine.
According to the bank’s materials, the total estimated cost of the wind farm construction project is EUR290 million.
The project is expected to receive support from partners, namely the European Commission under the Ukraine Investment Facility (EC-UIF) and the Economic Resilience Action Program for Ukraine (ERA Program), in particular from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
“The IFC’s additional role encompasses both financial and non-financial aspects. On the financial side, the IFC provides support in structuring a long-term financing package, which may include lending from its own funds, concessional financing, first-loss guarantees, and the mobilization of parallel loans,” the corporation stated.
At the same time, on the non-financial side, the IFC is strengthening the project’s financial resilience by providing support in assessing the electricity market. In addition to support during the pre-investment phase, the IFC will provide technical guidance to enhance the project’s capacity to manage environmental and social risks in accordance with IFC performance standards.
As previously reported, the IFC loan will be part of the project’s secured debt financing, which also involves the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB).
Specifically, on June 17, the EBRD also approved a decision to provide a long-term loan of up to EUR50 million to Volyn West Wind-2 LLC and Volyn West Wind-3 LLC—companies majority-owned by VI.AN Holding, a member of the OKKO Group— to finance the construction and operation of the aforementioned 189 MW wind farm in Ukraine.
The OKKO Group brings together more than 10 diverse businesses in the fields of manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, services, and other sectors. The group’s flagship company is the “Galnaftogaz” concern, which operates one of the largest gas station chains in Ukraine under the “OKKO” brand, comprising approximately 400 gas stations.
The founder and ultimate beneficiary of the group is Vitaliy Antonov.
IFC, LOAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY, RES, ОККО
The Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEDB) has approved two applications from Ukraine totaling 140 million euros to support housing programs; these funds will be used to provide housing for internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories and war veterans, according to the bank’s website.
A loan of 80 million euros will be allocated to support the “Housing for IDPs” component of the “eRecovery” program. In the first phase, this support will be directed toward IDPs who have left the temporarily occupied territories and have combatant status, as well as individuals with war-related disabilities. The funds will be disbursed in two tranches: Ukraine expects to receive the first 40 million euros as early as September 2026, with another 40 million euros to follow in 2027. Securing these funds will provide additional financing for approximately 2,000 housing vouchers to help people purchase their own homes.
“We have an existing mechanism to support people who have lost their homes in the temporarily occupied territories. The first phase of the program demonstrated high demand and tangible results—thousands of families have already purchased new homes using housing vouchers. Therefore, it is extremely important that Ukraine has received support for the program’s continued funding. “I am grateful to the Council of Europe Development Bank and personally to its President, Carlo Monticelli, for their support,” said Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine.
An additional 60 million euros in loans from the Council of Europe Development Bank will be allocated to a program providing housing for war veterans. The funds will be used to finance long-term, preferential mortgage loans. The program will be implemented in cooperation with government agencies and administered by the State Fund for the Promotion of Youth Housing Construction.
It is expected that this will enable the issuance of approximately 1,500 loans, of which more than 1,100 will be financed directly from the loan proceeds, and another 450 or more through a revolving financing mechanism.
The decisions adopted were also the result of agreements reached during the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine held in Rome in 2025. At that time, Oleksiy Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine, approached Carlo Monticelli, President of the Council of Europe Development Bank, with a proposal to support the first phase of the housing program for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the temporarily occupied territories, as well as to consider launching a separate housing support program for veterans.
State-owned Oschadbank increased the loan portfolio of the MHP group of companies by UAH 500 million by providing a blanket credit line to replenish working capital, the financial institution announced on Wednesday.
According to a press release from the bank, taking into account the new financing, the total amount of funds provided to MHP under the general credit agreement exceeded UAH 2.66 billion.
“For companies demonstrating a high level of financial management, Oschadbank is ready to offer not only large credit lines but also flexible financing instruments without collateral,” said Serhiy Chernikov, director of the bank’s corporate business department.
It is noted that the new unsecured credit line will enable the company to finance its current operations, maintain production cycles, and fulfill its obligations to partners.
As reported, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for the first quarter of 2026 increased by 2.5%, or by 3.14 billion UAH, to 130.59 billion UAH; specifically, loans to legal entities rose by 1.9% to 102.74 billion UAH.
According to the National Bank, as of April 1, 2026, the state-owned bank, with net assets of UAH 500.9 billion, ranked second among the country’s 58 banks.
MHP is the largest poultry producer in Ukraine and also produces grains, oil, and meat products. The agricultural holding’s production facilities are located in Ukraine and the countries of Southeast Europe.
For the first time since the start of the full-scale war, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided the Kernel agricultural holding with $45 million in financing for a renewable energy project. The decision was approved by the bank’s Board of Directors and signed during the Ukraine-EU Business Summit in Brussels.
According to a statement from Kernel’s Communications, PR, and GR Department, the total cost of the project is estimated at $86 million. In addition to the EBRD, negotiations are ongoing with other international lenders, and Kernel will finance the remaining investment. The European Union will provide partial coverage of the first-loss risk under the Investment Facility for Ukraine (UIF).
The project involves the construction of a 106 MW solar power plant (SPP) in southern Ukraine and the installation of energy storage systems. The facility is expected to generate approximately 141 GWh of electricity from renewable sources annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 82,500 tons. Once the transmission line is completed, the plant will be integrated into Ukraine’s Unified Energy System (UES) and will supply “green” electricity to the domestic market.
“The development of ‘green’ energy is one of Kernel’s key investment priorities. Today, Ukraine is acutely feeling a shortage of power generation, as large facilities remain vulnerable to attacks. Our response to these challenges is the development of distributed generation, particularly solar and wind power, as well as the implementation of energy storage systems. Connecting new capacity to the power grid is Kernel’s contribution to the stability and energy security of the entire country,” said Kernel CEO Yevgen Osipov.
Overall, Kernel’s strategy involves building a portfolio of green energy projects with a total capacity of up to 600 MW. The expected investment in this area is approximately $400 million.
The Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF) is an investment mechanism under the EU’s €50 billion Ukraine Facility program, aimed at rebuilding and modernizing Ukraine’s economy. Under the UIF, EBRD financing is backed by EU guarantees through the HI-BAR program, which reduces risks for investors and helps attract funding for renewable energy and climate technology projects.
Kernel Agri-Holding is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, Ukraine’s largest grain exporter, an operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grains and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
UKRNAFTA, Ukraine’s largest network of gas stations, doubled its fuel purchases in 2026 compared to last year to ensure stability for farmers during the planting season, the company’s CEO Bohdan Kukura told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“We have received the first shipments of diesel from the United States. The government’s task was to ensure (the domestic market – IF-U) that there would be no shortage. We are fulfilling this: given the season and increased demand, we have purchased twice as much fuel as before. There will be no shortage. We are fully contracted, and we do not foresee any problems at all for April,” the company’s head emphasized.
According to him, in response to the government’s request, UKRNAFTA began using post-import financing instruments for the first time in its history. The first shipments of American fuel were purchased using credit lines from the state-owned Ukrgasbank and Oschadbank. The top manager noted that this mechanism has been in operation for only about a month but has already proven effective in ensuring energy security.
The CEO also explained that, given market volatility, UKRNAFTA has abandoned fixed-price contracts, as they are unprofitable for suppliers due to the inability to predict risks. Currently, work with clients is based exclusively on a “contract formula” tied to global Platts or Argus price indices.
Separately, Kukura commented on the sales structure: the share of retail customers (B2C) is about 50–70%, while the corporate segment (B2B cards and vouchers) accounts for 30–50%. He noted that farmers typically purchase fuel through small-scale wholesalers.
As the chairman of the UKRNAFTA board assured, thanks to strategic reserves and new logistics, there is no cause for panic. The company continues to actively work with banks, creating “effective solutions to supply the market,” so Ukrainian businesses can be confident in the availability of fuel at gas stations.
As reported, by the end of 2025, UKRNAFTA increased fuel sales in the B2B segment to 391.6 million liters, which is 61.7% more than the previous year’s figure and nearly eight times higher than the 2023 result. The number of active corporate clients during this period tripled—to 9,700 companies. Over three years, the company doubled the average daily fuel sales per gas station, and the average receipt at the network’s stores tripled—to 180 UAH.
UKRNAFTA is one of the largest gas station networks in Ukraine, comprising approximately 700 locations and ranking among the top three in terms of fuel sales volume. The network structure includes the assets of Glusko (85 gas stations) and Shell (118 gas stations). Additionally, 21 complexes of Ukrgazvydobuvannya (U.Go) operate under the UKRNAFTA brand on a franchise basis.
