Russian invasion catalyst for renewables in Ukraine: minister
By Isabel MALSANG
Paris (AFP) Feb 16, 2024
The wartime destruction of its coalmines and several other of its energy vegetation are proving a catalyst for Ukraine’s renewable power transition, stated the nation’s Power Minister German Galushchenko.
Ukraine can be trying to substitute a few of its misplaced nuclear power manufacturing, he added.
The minister stated strikes in direction of wind and solar energy, coupled with the warfare’s influence on basic power infrastructure, implies that “the inexperienced transition ought to be applied quicker than we anticipated.”
Russian forces have destroyed 11 coalmines, which they did to weaken Kyiv’s capability to supply power, Galushchenko informed AFP on the sidelines of an IEE power summit this week in Paris.
“In fact we might by no means restart the operations, that is apparent,” stated Galushchenko. “We perceive that we are going to by no means restore” the destroyed services.
Ukraine has eight energy vegetation in non-occupied territory that may run on coal or pure gasoline, of which three have been knocked out of motion.
“We wish to section out coal after all” for local weather safety causes stated Galushchenko.
“Transition will occur quicker that anticipated as a result of warfare,” he added.
The instant focus is on wind and photo voltaic farms.
Galushchenko stated final yr Ukraine constructed round 200 megawatts of wind and round 150 megawatts of solar energy capability.
Even when “it is not a giant quantity, I can say that that is as a result of warfare,” he stated.
Ukraine can be trying to rebuild nuclear energy to compensate for manufacturing it misplaced from Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant, since Russian forces occupied the ability in 2022.
That will, Galushchenko stated, contain shopping for two Russian VVER-1000 reactors saved in Bulgaria, initially earmarked for the Belene nuclear energy plant decommissioned as a precondition for Bulgaria becoming a member of the European Union.
Two AP-1000 kind pressurised water reactors would additionally, he stated, come from US nuclear energy firm Westinghouse for deployment at Khmelnytskyi, in western Ukraine.
But some consultants are sceptical as as to whether that challenge is viable as new reactors would take at the very least a decade to return on stream whereas there are worries the reactors in Bulgaria could show to be too previous.
Galushchenko stated increasing nuclear manufacturing would additionally open up potentialities for Ukraine to provide Europe with inexperienced hydrogen.
Hydrogen is being checked out as a gas that might assist decarbonise business and transport because it produces no carbon dioxide when burned, and is inexperienced supplied it’s produced utilizing renewable or nuclear energy.
Ukraine has “calculated it will likely be capable of produce three to 5 million tonnes of hydrogen per yr,” Galushchenko stated.
“The one query is learn how to transport this hydrogen … that’s the most troublesome query.”
Galushchenko stated Ukraine’s electrical energy community was faring higher this winter than final yr.
“It isn’t the identical because it was earlier than the earlier winter… once we have been underneath nearly fixed restrictions. Typically, we do not need restrictions in provide of electrical energy,” he stated.
Ukraine can produce as much as 18 gigawatts of electrical energy, he stated, which is sufficient to deal with even peak hours of consumption.
And even when Kyiv has had at occasions to import electrical energy, worldwide help has enabled it to get by kind of.
With the tip of winter approaching they could get by probably the most demanding season with out main restrictions for shoppers.
“It is nice information, and as a result of this we even have a development within the economic system,” stated the minister.
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