According to Energy Map data, electricity imports in September 2026 decreased by 58.6% compared to August, totalling 76.1 GWh. This was the lowest monthly import volume since November 2023. At the same time, electricity exports increased by 24.4% to 473.7 GWh, marking the highest monthly export volume since September 2025. As a result Ukraine remained a net exporter of electricity for the third consecutive month, with exports exceeding imports 6.2-fold.
Electricity exports took place every day, and daily export volumes exceeded imports throughout the month. On 4 September, daily electricity imports reached the monthly peak of 5.1 GWh. Thereafter, electricity imports gradually declined: 30.3 GWh were imported during the first decade, compared with 20.1 GWh during the final decade. The highest daily export volume was recorded on 11 September, at 23.4 GWh.
Weather remained the key factor influencing the dynamics of Ukraine’s electricity trade. September was noticeably cooler than August: the need for air conditioning disappeared, while the heating season had not yet begun, keeping electricity demand moderate. At the same time, shorter daylight hours and cloudy weather reduced generation from residential and industrial solar power plants. This was most evident on 21–25 September, when cooler weather accompanied by rain led to a decline in electricity exports. On 23 September, exports fell to 5.5 GWh, the lowest daily volume of the month, while exports were suspended altogether during certain hours. As sunny weather returned at the end of the month, daily electricity exports recovered to 17–19 GWh.
Hourly data also point to a more pronounced increase in exports during nighttime hours: between 22:00 and 06:00, exports increased by 35.5%, compared with just 17.3% during the rest of the day. As former Energy Minister Olha Buslavets noted, the power system is losing large consumers with stable, including nighttime, electricity demand as a result of russian attacks on energy-intensive industries. According to her data, industry consumed 23% less electricity in August than a year earlier, while electricity consumption in the metallurgical sector was down 45%.
The price environment also remained favorable for electricity exports. In September, the average day-ahead market (DAM) index for base load in Ukraine stood at €116.2/MWh, which was 29–50% lower than in neighboring markets: €149.8/MWh in Poland, €163.8/MWh in Slovakia, and €174.4/MWh in Romania. However, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which has been in effect since 1 January 2026, remains a constraint on electricity exports to EU countries. It increases the cost of Ukrainian electricity on the European market, negatively affecting its price competitiveness and exporters’ margins.
The security situation deteriorated toward the end of the month. On the night of 30 September, russia launched a massive attack on energy infrastructure in Kyiv city and Kyiv region, damaging, among other facilities, generating equipment at the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant. Emergency power outages were imposed in Kyiv and several regions. At the same time, Ukraine remained a net exporter even during the evening hours on 30 September, indicating that the outages were localized and caused by equipment damage rather than an overall power capacity deficit in the system. As the heating season approaches, the power system balance will increasingly depend on the intensity of attacks and the ability to maintain the availability of generation and grid infrastructure.
Imports by country:
- Hungary – 38.8 GWh (50.9%);
- Poland – 17.0 GWh (22.4%);
- Romania – 14.8 GWh (19.4%);
- Slovakia – 5.4 GWh (7.1%);
- Moldova – 0.1 GWh (0.2%).
Compared to August 2026, electricity imports decreased across all directions by 37–87%. Electricity trade with Slovakia took place only during the first five days of the month; from 6 September onward, import volumes on this interconnection were zero.
For comparison, electricity imports in September 2025 totaled 139.7 GWh, which was 83.5% higher than in September 2026.
Exports by country:
- Hungary – 232.5 GWh (49.1%);
- Moldova – 152.5 GWh (32.2%);
- Romania – 81.6 GWh (17.2%);
- Slovakia – 5.3 GWh (1.1%);
- Poland – 1.8 GWh (0.4%).
Compared to August 2026, electricity exports to Romania, Hungary, and Moldova increased by 14–36%, while exports to Poland and Slovakia decreased by 39% and 75%, respectively.
Year on year, total electricity exports decreased by 25.4% compared to September 2025, when they amounted to 635.1 GWh.