Ukraine approves national energy plan to 2030 with diversification of supply sources
MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Cabinet has approved a national energy and climate plan (NECP) to 2030, Ukrainian media reported, citing Deputy Economy Minister Alexei Sobolev.
"We have been moving toward adopting this plan since the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London in 2023 and today the NECP was approved," Sobolev said on social media. The plan is a strategic document aimed at coordinating environmental, energy and economic policies to ensure Ukraine's sustainable development to 2030, he said.
The implementation of the plan will be coordinated by the new green transition office at the Economy Ministry.
Sobolev said his ministry coordinated the development of the NECP, but all of the country's key agencies worked on it together with independent experts, with input from analytical center DiXi Group and the National Academy of Sciences' Institute for Economics and Forecasting, and the support of the Net Zero World Initiative. The latter uses the know-how of U.S. institutions and agencies to promote the decarbonization of global energy systems.
DiXi Group said in press release that Ukraine developed the NECP in accordance with the requirements of EU Regulation 2018/1999 as part of its obligations as a contracting party to the Energy Community. The plan is also one of the conditions of the negotiation process for Ukraine to acquire EU membership.
"The main goals of the NECP include the following: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 65% compared to 1990 levels; reaching a 27% share of renewable energy sources in total final energy consumption; deepening the diversification of energy sources and supply routes - no more than 30% from a single supplier [...]," the press release said.
DiXi Group research director Roman Nitsovich said that in terms of energy security the NECP includes targets and measures aimed at protecting and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure.
"In the short term, we must also see to the physical and cyber security of our facilities, and in the medium term overcome import dependence and achieve net exports in certain sectors, build a system of reserves along the European model and uphold reliability standards for gas and electricity supplies," Nitsovich said in the press release.
Ukraine's Cabinet approved an updated National Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement (NDC2) in July 2021. "Through decarbonization and development of renewable energy sources, we intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 35% of the 1990 level. Ukraine is in lock step with the EU and United States in the fight against climate change," Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said at the time.
Ukraine's initial contribution under the Paris Agreement, approved by the Cabinet in September 2015, called for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, meaning to 60% of the 1990 level. Ukraine's emissions, taking into account land use and forest management, totalled 884 million tonnes in 1990, and in 2019, according to the land registry, they had already dropped to 332 million tonnes or 37.6% of the 1990 level.