Energy crops: Ukraine may completely abandon gas imports

Ukraine may replace up to 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas and completely abandon gas imports due to the use of energy crops for power generation,

That's according to the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving.

Energy crops in Ukraine covered a mere 6,400 hectares (ha) in 2019. At the same time, there are about 4 million ha of unproductive and degraded lands across the country, which are seen as unsuitable for harvesting traditional crops, so they often remain unused.

Read alsoUkraine to boost diesel output, imports in face of possible shortageCultivating energy сrops on such lands would be an optimal solution, which would allow profiting off of unproductive lands and gradually restoring their fertility without additional budget expenditures, replacing imported gas with local fuels, and contributing to decarbonization of heat generation.

The maximum potential for gas replacement by energy crops in power generation is equivalent to up to 20 bcm per year. At the same time, Ukraine in 2020 imported almost 16 bcm of gas.

Background

Earlier, the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving initiated a bill and drafted it jointly with the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Policy, the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, scientific institutes and other stakeholders to develop energy crop harvesting in Ukraine.

The bill is aimed at drafting legislation for the intensification of energy crops cultivation.

On April 12, 2021, Ukraine announced the possibility of replacing natural gas with its analog produced from agricultural waste, which will reduce dependence on conventional gas imports.