U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as one of the causes of the global energy crisis and rising energy prices, according to The New York Times.
“We are currently experiencing an energy shock due to the war in Ukraine, as Ukraine has decided to target Russian energy assets and oil refineries, which is driving up prices globally,” Bessent said.
According to The New York Times, Bessent made this statement after two days of meetings in North Carolina with finance ministers from around the world. He cited Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure as one of the causes of the global energy crisis, which he said was primarily caused by the U.S. war with Iran.
The publication notes that Bessent’s remarks came after the U.S. invited Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to the G20 meeting, a move that drew criticism from some of Ukraine’s allies.
Bessent also defended his bilateral meeting with Siluanov, citing the need for cooperation to resolve Russia’s war against Ukraine.
At the same time, as the American publication notes, Bessent’s criticism of Ukraine’s military tactics sparked a negative reaction among Ukrainians.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/business/bessent-energy-prices-ukraine.html
Schneider Electric reported a roughly 30% increase in net income attributable to the company’s shareholders to EUR2.49 billion for the first half of 2026, while revenue reached a record EUR21.23 billion.
A year earlier, revenue stood at EUR19.34 billion. Organic sales growth in the first half of 2026 was 14%.
Adjusted EBITA increased to EUR4.09 billion from EUR3.51 billion, representing 22% organic growth. The EBITA margin reached 19.3%.
The company’s free cash flow more than tripled, reaching approximately EUR 1.6 billion.
The second quarter was particularly strong, with Schneider Electric’s revenue reaching a record EUR 11.5 billion, an organic increase of 17%. The Energy Management segment grew by 18%, and Industrial Automation by 11%.
The company cites the data center market as one of the main drivers. Demand for electrical infrastructure for data centers is growing rapidly amid the development of artificial intelligence, which significantly increases computing density, power consumption of server racks, and demands on cooling and backup power systems.
North America posted organic growth of 23%, while China and East Asia saw growth of 20%.
Following a strong first half of the year, Schneider Electric raised its forecast for the full year 2026. The company expects organic adjusted EBITA growth of 14–19%, up from its previous forecast of 10–15%.
Organic revenue growth is projected at 10–13%.
Schneider Electric’s results reflect a broader investment cycle in energy infrastructure. AI data centers require not only servers and graphics processing units (GPUs), but also transformers, distribution equipment, UPS systems, automation systems, cooling systems, and digital energy management solutions.
Thus, energy infrastructure is gradually becoming one of the key constraints on the further scaling of AI.
For Ukraine, this trend is significant in the long-term context of rebuilding digital infrastructure and constructing new data centers. Future facilities will require significantly greater connected power capacity and more complex power distribution architectures than traditional server centers.
Schneider Electric has been operating in Ukraine for over 30 years. Globally, the company is present in more than 100 countries and has approximately 160,000 employees.
Schneider Electric published its financial results for the first half of the year on July 30, 2026.
Representatives of Ukrainian water and wastewater utilities are exploring opportunities for automation, digitalization, and improving the energy resilience of their infrastructure using Schneider Electric solutions.
In August, a specialized Schneider Electric conference dedicated to technologies for water supply and wastewater treatment companies was held in Kyiv. The municipal utility “Chornomorskvodokanal” in the Odesa region, among others, reported its participation in the event.
The main topics of discussion included the automation of production processes, the digitalization of water supply systems, improving energy efficiency, and ensuring a reliable power supply for critical infrastructure.
For Ukrainian water utilities, the energy component is of fundamental importance, as pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants, water treatment systems, and sewer facilities are directly dependent on a stable power supply.
At the same time, the modernization of the sector is taking place amid limited financial resources available to utility companies.
Schneider Electric’s portfolio for the water supply sector includes automation, dispatch, and power management systems; controllers; SCADA; electric motor control systems; digital analytics; and specialized EcoStruxure solutions.
Specifically, the company offers EcoStruxure Water Advisor, EcoStruxure Asset Advisor, EcoStruxure Automation Expert, EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert, and SCADAPack telemetry systems.
These technologies enable the integration of data from pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants, electrical equipment, and networks into a single monitoring system.
According to Schneider Electric, the digital transformation of water utilities helps address several key industry challenges: water loss, high energy costs, aging infrastructure, unplanned equipment shutdowns, and the need to detect failures more quickly.
In the Ukrainian context, this is compounded by the need to improve energy resilience. A modern water utility must, in fact, have both automated process control and the ability to continue operations in the event of an external power outage.
This requires a comprehensive architecture: backup power sources, automatic load switching, control of electric motors and pumps, energy consumption monitoring, SCADA, and remote control systems.
It is precisely this combination of automation and energy management that is gradually becoming one of the key areas of modernization for Ukraine’s municipal infrastructure.
It is noteworthy that “Chornomorskvodokanal” itself hosted representatives of the international SPARC program in August, who conducted an audit of the energy equipment previously provided to the company. This indicates that the modernization of public utility infrastructure is increasingly combining international technical assistance with the implementation of modern management and control systems.
Schneider Electric has been operating in Ukraine since 1994 and provides solutions for the energy sector, industry, buildings, data centers, and critical infrastructure.
Automation, ENERGY, Schneider Electric, UKRAINE, water utility
Schneider Electric has introduced a new generation of Easy UPS 3S Pro three-phase uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) with capacities ranging from 10 to 40 kVA, designed for small and medium-sized businesses, small data centers, medical facilities, manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and telecommunications and transportation infrastructure.
The company announced the launch of the solution in markets that adhere to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, specifically in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Schneider Electric Ukraine has not yet issued a separate announcement regarding the start of sales for the new product line directly in Ukraine.
The Easy UPS 3S Pro is available in versions with internal and external battery packs. The equipment’s efficiency exceeds 96% in double-conversion mode and reaches 99% in ECO mode, which helps reduce the system’s own energy consumption.
For facilities with increasing loads, parallel operation of multiple UPS units is supported—both to increase power capacity and to provide redundancy according to the N+1 configuration. The systems can also share a common battery bank, which helps reduce capital expenditures on battery infrastructure.
The equipment is designed to operate under various operating conditions. It features a wide temperature range, dust filters, and a protective coating on the electronic circuit boards. The Easy Loop function allows certain system tests to be performed without connecting a separate load bank.
Schneider Electric has placed special emphasis on remote monitoring. The built-in Network Management Card enables monitoring via the EcoStruxure IT platform, and BACnet support allows the UPS to be integrated into building management systems.
The network management module is certified to the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard, which is becoming increasingly important as power supply, automation, and IT infrastructure systems converge.
For the Ukrainian market, the new product line is of particular interest given the need to improve the energy resilience of facilities where even a brief power outage or degradation in power quality can lead to operational shutdowns. This includes server rooms and data centers, telecommunications equipment, manufacturing facilities, medical institutions, retail, and other critical infrastructure.
At the same time, a UPS does not replace power generation or long-term battery energy storage. Its primary function is to ensure the continuity and quality of the power supply, as well as to support the load until a generator starts up, a switchover to another line occurs, or another backup source is connected.
Schneider Electric has been operating in Ukraine since 1994. The company is present in more than 100 countries worldwide and employs approximately 160,000 people.
In the summer of 2026, Nibulon Joint Venture LLC installed ground-mounted solar power plants (SPPs) at its Bessarabsk, Zolotonosha, and Denykhiv branches, the company’s press service reported.
As a result, five grain elevator complexes are now equipped with solar power plants, accounting for over 20% of the company’s total capacity. Depending on the elevator’s operating mode, each SPP covers between 25% and 50% of its electricity needs, the statement noted.
The solar power plants at the three branches have a total capacity of up to 350 kW each and are equipped with 546–566 double-sided solar panels with a capacity of up to 620 W. The plants can operate either from the external power grid or in conjunction with diesel generators in the event of a power outage.
The company noted that the development of its own solar power generation is part of its decarbonization strategy. By 2030, Nibulon plans to equip 30% of its grain elevator complexes with solar power plants.
Installing solar power plants reduces the need to purchase electricity on the market and allows surplus electricity to be fed into regional power grids. Additionally, operating solar power plants alongside diesel generators reduces diesel fuel consumption during scheduled or emergency power outages.
Before the war, Nibulon Joint Venture LLC cultivated 82,000 hectares of land across 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries worldwide. In 2021, the grain trader exported 5.64 million metric tons of agricultural products—the highest volume in its history. After the war began, the company was forced to relocate its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv. Currently, “Nibulon” cultivates 52,000 hectares of land across four clusters. In addition to 23 grain elevator complexes, Nibulon has its own trucking and rail capabilities, as well as a fleet built at its own shipyard. Even during wartime, this fleet continues to provide river transportation services.
The company is also actively developing its own humanitarian demining unit to restore safety on leased lands and assist Ukraine’s agricultural sector. It is a certified mine action operator.
Oil refining capacity in Europe and the U.S. will decline over the next decade, while it will continue to grow in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, according to forecasts by S&P Global Energy experts.
Western governments are urging companies to expand refinery capacity to ensure uninterrupted supplies of critical resources during future crises, but investors are reluctant to fund new projects, which will create problems in the future—both in Europe and North America, the Financial Times reports.
This year, refineries in the U.S. and Europe are operating near full capacity as the industry struggles to cope with shortages caused by the war in the Middle East, and they are generating high profits.
According to a forecast by S&P Global Energy, European refinery capacity will decline by 20% over the next ten years through 2035, to a level slightly above 9 million barrels per day (bpd). Last year, facilities with a combined refining capacity of about 500,000 b/d were shut down in Europe, and the United Kingdom, for example, lost two of its six refineries.
S&P Global Energy also expects U.S. capacity to decline by 7% over this period, to 16.7 million bpd.
The energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East has not altered the industry’s trajectory, notes Daniel Evans, who is responsible for the oil refining market at S&P Global.
“Recent supply disruptions have forced a reassessment of the strategic importance of the refining industry in the West. But does this change the long-term fundamentals? I would say most likely not,” he noted.
Unlike in North America and Europe, companies in China, the Middle East, India, and Africa have built large, new, and highly competitive refineries.
