
Kyrylo Brazhko, Head of Analytics at D.TRADING, participated in the panel discussion “Preparing for Winter 2026–2027: Lessons Learned from This Year” at Partners Meetup 2026, where he shared insights into structural changes across regional power systems, the growing role of market mechanisms, and strategic priorities for generation and trading.
Evolving generation mix
Brazhko highlighted the significant transformation underway across regional energy systems in recent years, with shifts in the balance of generation reflecting both market and security dynamics.
He noted that the role of conventional thermal capacity has declined, while low-carbon baseload generation has at times accounted for a dominant share of electricity production. As a reference point for future system design, he pointed to a balanced structure of approximately 50% nuclear baseload, 40% renewables, and 10% flexible gas and distributed generation.
Storage and system flexibility
Brazhko also emphasized the importance of energy storage systems as a key tool for balancing the growing share of renewable generation. According to him, battery solutions are already becoming standard across European markets and are critical for maintaining frequency stability and ensuring system flexibility.
Market mechanisms and cross-border flows
He noted that market-based pricing signals in 2025–2026 supported greater participation from private players and helped optimize resource allocation across gas and power markets.
Stronger cross-border electricity flows during peak periods also played an important role in maintaining system balance, demonstrating how market self-regulation mechanisms can support economically sound pricing and efficient distribution of resources.
Infrastructure constraints
At the same time, Brazhko stressed that market efficiency remains closely linked to physical infrastructure capabilities. Limited cross-border interconnection capacity continues to constrain the full potential of regional electricity trade, making grid expansion a key priority ahead of future winter seasons.
The evolving role of trading and LNG
From a trading perspective, Brazhko highlighted the growing importance of working with aggregators and distributed energy resources, as well as the role of imports in covering peak demand.
He also noted that LNG is gaining increasing strategic relevance as Europe continues to diversify supply sources and reduce dependence on Russian gas ahead of 2027.