A personal mission to restore energy
Interview with Richard Benda, Chairman of the Board of Enkom a.s.
Across Ukraine, the destruction of centralized power plants has exposed a critical weakness in national energy systems. As ageing infrastructure is lost to missile strikes, the need for decentralized, quickly deployable generation has become urgent. For Czech engineer Richard Benda, Chairman of the Board of Enkom a.s., this crisis is not abstract – it’s personal.
For Richard Benda, founder of Enkom, the devastation in Ukraine is inseparable from his own past. He studied in Kyiv for more than five years, forging a lifelong bond with the country and its people. That connection guides his company’s focus today. “Ukraine is forever,” he says simply. Since 2022, around 95% of Enkom’s turnover has come from Ukraine, where the firm works to restore critical power and heating infrastructure.
Engineering expertise where it is needed most
Enkom operates as an engineering and EPC specialist, coordinating design, procurement, installation and commissioning of gas‑fired boiler houses and cogeneration units. The team travels monthly to assess needs on the ground, often in frontline areas such as Kharkiv. Their role is technical, but also translational: Ukrainian municipalities often know what they need, but not how Western equipment must be adapted to function in ageing or damaged plants. Enkom acts as the bridge between both worlds, ensuring equipment works in real conditions rather than on paper.
Financial constraints that slow recovery
Despite strong demand, Enkom is limited by financing difficulties. Czech banks will not issue advance‑payment guarantees for projects in a warzone, and the country offers little commercial support. This restricts Enkom’s ability to take on large tenders – even when international organizations such as the World Bank or EBRD finance procurement. “We could double or triple our turnover,” Richard Benda notes, “but we can’t access the guarantees.” Compounding this, many global manufacturers face year‑long lead times, while Ukraine needs equipment in months, not years. Enkom searches globally for faster options, often turning to Korean suppliers when European capacity is overloaded.
Taking a personal risk: The TriCoGen project
The limits of financing eventually pushed Richard Benda and his partners to take an extraordinary step: building their own decentralized power plant inside Ukraine, without insurance or bank credit. Through TriCoGen – a venture co‑founded with RSJ Investments and Second Foundation – they are constructing modular 10 MW gas‑fired cogeneration plants in central Ukraine, entirely financed from private funds. “My wife would appreciate if the money stayed at home,” Richard Benda jokes, “but she understands why we are doing this.” The first unit is targeted to start operation this year. Their aim is twofold: to deliver real capacity before next winter, and to demonstrate that decentralized solutions can be built even under wartime pressure.
The urgent case for decentralized power
Richard Benda believes Ukraine’s traditional reliance on enormous plants – nuclear, hydro and 1,000‑MW CHP units – has proven disastrous. Destroy one site, and entire cities lose power and heat. Smaller sites are faster to build, harder to destroy and easier to protect with drone nets or physical barriers. “There must be some balance,” he argues. Decentralization, he insists, is not just a technical upgrade but a matter of national security for Ukraine and for Europe. Larger geopolitical instability, from Russia to Iran, makes resilience essential. “Until we understand that Europe’s security is our own responsibility, we will have problems” he warns.