What is Just Transition about?
Just Transition: The Path to a New Future for Sheptytskyi (and the Chervonohrad Urban Territorial Community)
Ukraine is actively advancing towards energy independence and sustainable development, and the just transition process for coal regions is a crucial part of this journey. Even now, mining communities are facing the challenges of mine closures, job cuts, and the need for new opportunities for economic growth. However, the transition is not just about moving away from coal. It’s about creating new jobs, developing business, tourism, green energy, and projects that shape a sustainable future for local residents.
Why are Sheptytskyi and the Community Changing Now?
Sheptytskyi is one of the first coal communities in Ukraine to embark on transforming its economic profile. Today, the community is working towards becoming the industrial heart of the Lviv region: attracting investors, creating new businesses, and providing opportunities for young people. This is a challenge, but also a chance to make Sheptytskyi a modern city, attractive for living and working.
What is Just Transition?
Just transition is a process of change that takes into account the needs of people: miners, their families, young people, and entrepreneurs. It’s not simply about closing mines, but about creating new avenues for development: from alternative energy and logistics to tourism and creative industries. It is a path towards an economy that is not only profitable but also sustainable and environmentally friendly.
It’s crucial that these changes are not superficial but involve genuine community engagement—through dialogue, training, and new projects. That is why the Just Transition Agency was established in Sheptytskyi—an organization dedicated to helping find funding for ideas, supporting entrepreneurs, engaging with young people, and communicating that the transition is not a threat, but an opportunity for everyone.
Why is This Important?
The coal market in Ukraine has been shrinking for several decades. State support for this sector is becoming increasingly less effective. Meanwhile, the energy transition is a global trend, and Ukraine, as part of its European integration process, has committed to gradually reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. Continuing to dwell on the past means missing out on the opportunities offered by the new economy: clean energy, processing, innovation, and tourism.
Sheptytskyi: Change Starts Here
The first steps have already been taken: a training and practical center for renewable energy has been opened, the community is actively attracting investors, and work is underway to establish an industrial park. But this is just the beginning. The success of the transformation depends on everyone: on the businesses willing to invest, on the young people who stay to build the new city, and on the partners who provide resources and expertise.
The future is being created today. Become part of the change with the Agency.