ANALYSIS OF PROSPECTIVE DIRECTIONS FOR USING UKRAINE’S BIOMASS POTENTIAL FOR ENERGY

Abstract

The purpose of the work is a comprehensive assessment of Ukraine’s bioenergy potential. The task of the work is to develop recommendations for the practical implementation of promising directions for the potential utilisation. The research methods include calculations, study and analysis of literature, statistics and other data. The availability of considerable biomass potential for the production of various types of biofuel and energy is one of the main prerequisites for the successful development of bioenergy in Ukraine. Results of the assessment based on 2021 data show that the potential of biomass for energy in the country amounts to nearly 26 Mtoe/year. A comprehensive assessment of the potential was carried out for such components as solid biomass, biofuelі and biogas. Sources of solid biomass are various agricultural residues, various types of wood biomass and energy crops (provided they are grown on unused agricultural land). Solid biomass in the amount of more than 16 Mtoe/year is the largest component of the country's biomass energy potential accounting for 62% of the total. Expert assessments indicate the possibility of increasing this potential to about 44 Mtoe/year in the period until 2050. A scenario for the long-term use of the biomass potential for energy and biofuel production has been developed taking into account sustainability issues. To implement this scenario, it is necessary to overcome a number of barriers existing in the bioenergy sector, primarily the main ones. It also seems necessary to temporarily liberalize for Ukraine the strict sustainability criteria established by the EU RED II. This mitigation should include postponing the requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (65% for biofuels and biogas for transport produced in installations that started operation from 01.01.2021); establishing a special limit for Ukraine until 2030 on the use of energy from first-generation biofuels in transport (up to 7%); expanding for Ukraine the list of feedstock for the production of advanced biofuels, including regulation of possibility to obtain raw material for biofuel production on polluted, unused, low-productivity and degraded lands.