Institutional and legal component of ensuring energy transformation at the regional and local levels

The article examines the institutional and legal support for energy transformation at the regional and local levels. The relevance of decentralization in the new paradigm of energy development will only grow. It is communities and local representative institutions that will bear increasing responsibility for the intensity and effectiveness of the energy transition. In Ukraine, this process is additionally catalyzed by threats to energy security as a result of military operations. Given these factors, the institutional component of the energy transition will require increasing attention and further balancing. As a result of the study, it was established that the institutional and legal support for energy transformation at the local and regional levels is provided by the rulemaking of local governments and local executive authorities within the limits of their powers. The voluntary and imperative planes of institutional and legal support for energy transformation at the local level were identified. In Ukraine, the most representative and widespread example of voluntary institutional and legal support for energy transformation at the local level is the signing by local governments of the Covenant of Mayors, according to which they undertake obligations to reduce emissions and implement energy efficiency measures on their territory. The imperative rules established by the Law of Ukraine “On Energy Efficiency” regarding the approval of a local energy plan by each local and regional council are additionally stimulated by the threat of losing the right to state support in the absence of such a plan by the date established in the Law. Having analyzed the overall evolution of domestic legislation over the past decade (2014–2024), we can identify a trend towards further granting the institution of local self-government with a set of powers necessary for its effective implementation of a wide range of measures in the field of energy transformation. Taking into account the EU experience within the framework of the Fourth Energy Package, we can predict further progression of the identified trend. This requires not only declarative rulemaking - the corresponding strengthening of the institution of local self-government must be comprehensive (legislative, material and resource, informational, organizational, etc.).