Kalush: A Community Implementing the Energy Solutions of the Future

Kalush is steadily establishing itself as one of Ukraine’s communities that systematically implements modern energy solutions and strengthens the resilience of critical infrastructure. One of the clearest confirmations of this is the Energy-Independent Hospital project, which received the 100 gREen AWARD-2025 in the category Best Energy Resilience Project for a Medical Institution. The award ceremony took place on April 17 in Kyiv at MIM Business School and brought together key stakeholders of Ukraine’s green transformation.

This recognition matters not only as a professional award for a single project. It also highlights Kalush itself as a community moving toward energy modernization not through declarations, but through concrete solutions implemented at facilities that directly affect people’s everyday safety. In the case of Kalush Central District Hospital, this is a project that combines energy independence, continuity of medical services, lower electricity costs, and a practical contribution to decarbonization.

It is in this context that the role of the ANEW-LIFE initiative should be understood. Kalush is one of the pilot cities of this European project, whose core mission is to support the recovery of energy infrastructure, community decarbonization, and the development of new financial mechanisms for the sustainable transformation of Ukrainian cities.

Work within the ANEW-LIFE project in Kalush began back in 2024. It focused on sustainable urban and community development, improving energy efficiency, introducing green technologies, reducing environmental impact, and identifying practical solutions to strengthen local energy resilience.

For Kalush, participation in the project also has a very practical dimension. The total budget of ANEW-LIFE is EUR 1.5 million, of which EUR 53,500 is allocated to Kalush for the implementation of specific local measures, including new technical solutions and training for the local authorities and community.

The Energy-Independent Hospital project clearly demonstrates how this broader approach is turning into concrete action. In a previous Global 100 RE Ukraine publication about this case, it was emphasized that the Kalush community is strengthening the resilience of its medical infrastructure through solar energy. The project was presented as an example of cooperation between the community, the medical institution, and international partners around a shared goal: making the hospital less dependent on external energy supply and more resilient in the face of wartime and energy-related risks.

The project is being implemented at Kalush Central District Hospital to achieve greater energy independence, improve energy security, and reduce costs and CO₂ emissions. The hospital received 100 kW of equipment from the Swiss company BKW, as well as more than UAH 1 million in grant funding under the Swiss Green Energy project for the purchase of solar panels. By the time of the award ceremony, a solar power plant with a total installed capacity of 200 kW had already been installed at the hospital.

The project description also noted that in October 2025, Kalush Central District Hospital received solar panels from the Swiss energy companies enalpin AG, BKW AG, and Jost AG, with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Switzerland. All of this makes it possible to speak about the project no longer as an intention or a pilot idea, but as a solution with real technical scale and practical value for the community.

In practical terms, this means more stable operation of the medical institution during power outages and more reliable delivery of medical services both for the residents of Kalush and for neighboring communities.

That is precisely why the recognition at the 100 gREen AWARD-2025 is so meaningful. The award honors not abstract intentions, but the best implemented green transformation projects in Ukraine. The Kalush case proved especially convincing because it combines several dimensions that are critically important for Ukraine today: energy resilience, modernization of critical infrastructure, international partnership, direct benefits for the community, and strong potential for replication.

For Kalush itself, this story is yet another sign that the community is moving in the right direction. Participation in ANEW-LIFE, the launch of local activities within the initiative, inclusion among the pilot cities, and now the national recognition of the hospital project as part of the 100 gREen AWARD-2025 together form one consistent trajectory. It is the trajectory of a community that is not waiting for ideal conditions, but is already implementing the energy solutions of the future.

Ultimately, the Kalush case is about more than an award. It is about a community showing how local change can become part of a larger national transformation. And it is precisely examples like this that best demonstrate today how Ukraine’s green modernization is happening — through specific cities, specific projects, and specific results.