Regional clustering of FEC enterprises to strengthen the country's economic security

The object of this work is the process of strengthening the economic security of enterprises of the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine. The work considers the issue of dividing business entities of different forms of ownership into clusters according to their territorial affiliation and features of functioning. A characteristic feature of the territorial organization of the energy complex of Ukraine is not the isolated location of its production facilities, but the functioning of most of them in energy systems and close interconnection. As a result of the proposed methods of cluster analysis, similarity, correlation and Euclidean distance, a division into territorial clusters was carried out according to the studied industry. The results obtained are presented in a matrix representation, which helped to adjust possible cluster similarities and determine them due to territorial proximity and results of financial activity. Further research is devoted to determining the changes in indicators over the past five years regarding such characteristics as: economic growth of the cluster, interconnection with other clusters, financial stability of the cluster and socio-economic development. This helped to generalize the analyzed data and identify the weaknesses and strengths of energy enterprises. It was determined that the leaders among the positive generalized results are the Black Sea cluster (34.88/1) and the Capital (30.34/2) cluster and Podilskyi (27.91/3). And the negative ones are the Central (25.15/9), Prydniprovskyi (26.09/8) and TO Donetsk (27.26/7). The results obtained are explained by the diversity of financial results of companies over a five-year period, as well as the constant change in factors of external influence on critical infrastructure facilities. The proposed measures for dividing enterprises into clusters are aimed at further maintaining the existing level of economic security. They are also aimed at protecting all sources of energy generation by enterprises and further prospects for renewal and/or reconstruction in the chain of energy services from production to the end consumer, which should become a priority area of development for the country.