The war unleashed by russia has inflicted considerable damage on the whole energy sector of Ukraine. Russia’s aggression and temporary occupation of some territories of Ukraine deprived the country of a significant part of the green generation: 80% of wind capacities and more than 30% of solar capacities are occupied and/or partially destroyed. However, the development of the industry in 2015-2019 proves that renewable energy could be an investment magnet; while the current EU climate policy and global trends in sustainable development confirm the role of renewable generation in the economic development of nations. Therefore, “green” energy should be at the core of the Ukrainian economy restoration and our energy security. As early as today, the issues related to the RES industry recovery and its development after the war should become key ones on the of the country’s energy agenda.
The expert discussion “Recovery and Development of the Renewable Energy Sector after the War” conducted on 15 November 2022, gathered together People’s Deputies of Ukraine, representatives of state bodies and RES industry.
Participants discussed the current status of national renewable energy sector, existing opportunities and barriers to renewable energy development, shared their views on short-, medium- and long-term measures aimed at implementing renewable energy projects after the war.
Discussion was opened by Vladyslav Maksakov, a state expert in the expert group for the development of the renewable electrical energy sources in the electricity complex of the Energy Market Directorate of the Ministry of Energy who presented the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine vision for further development of the industry, emphasizing that “the further RES development in the country should be based on market principles.”
Co-chairman of the IFO “Clean Energy – Healthy Environment”, MP, Oleksiy Goncharenko: “If we have already confirmed as an EU candidate country. If we have already decided that this is our way to go with the free world and be a part of Europe.
For Europe today’s concept of energy is “green” energy. This is the priority, and this is the future. Ukraine should be one of the leaders in this process, especially since we need it even more than others“.
Speakers of the event included: Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the UWEA Board; Oleksandr Kozakevych, Chairman of the Ukrainian Association of Renewable Energy; Kyrylo Kostyrya, Legal Director, UDP Renewables; Ihor Retivov, Senior Regulatory Manager, DTEK Renewables; Juliya Usenko, Head of All0Ukrainian Sustainable Development and Investments Agency. Ivan Bondarchuk, Counsel, Energy Law, LCF, moderated the discussion.
Kyrylo Kostyrya, Legal Director, UDP Renewables: “From a long-term RES development perspective, we see opportunities for exporting RES electricity to the European Union. Our “green” elelctricty could held decarbonise EU economy and reduce its dependence on energy resources of the aggressor state. But we don’t have enough ability to do so: we lack the ability to enter into long-term contracts for export and access to interconnectors (for a period of 10-15 years). Another barriers include lack of Guarantees of Origin and mandatory PSO that has been imposed on electricity exporters”.
Ihor Retivov, Senior Regulatory Manager, DTEK Renewables: «We should have a single state strategy or another document of this type. But it should be the same for all state bodies and institutions, it should be accepted and implemented by all, from government agencies to bodies to energy companies”.
Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the UWEA Board: “We should not just renovate the Ukraine’s energy system of the past. We want, as EC advises us, to build it back better than before with two main goals in mind: Ukraine’s energy independence and decarbonisation. To deliver these goals we have to make a deep analysis of the whole energy system with renewable energy generating technologies at the core.”
Presentations of the speakers:
Vladyslav Maksakov, Ministry of Energy of Ukraine
Andriy Konechenkov, UWEA
