Five companies dominate biogas production in Ukraine

Bioenergy represents 70% of all renewable energy sources (RES) in Ukraine and is considered an integral part of the "green" energy transformation of the country.

The State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (SAEE) data show that there are currently 51 biogas plants operating in Ukraine. Member of the Expert Council of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine Petro Kucheruk said that as of July 1, 2020, there are 34 plants in Ukraine (for which the green tariff is set) with a total electric capacity of 96.701 MW.

The agro-industrial complex operates 26 biogas plants, 24 of which are aimed at the production of electric energy, the rest at the production of thermal energy. The total capacity of 18 biogas plants operating on agricultural raw materials and having the green tariff set reaches 54.294 MW. Another 6 stations are still operating without the green tariff.

Companies in Ukraine operating the largest biogas plants at agricultural enterprises (by capacity):

• MHP (biogas plants at Oril-Leader and Vinnytsia Poultry Factories): 17.692 MW
• Ukraine-2001 (biogas plant at Teofipol Sugar Plant): 15.609 MW
• Astarta-Kyiv (bio-energy complex in Glogyno, Poltava region): 12 MW
• Panda (Korsun Eco Energo biogas complex): 7.5 MW
• Gals Agro: 6 MW

Despite the fact that many companies announce plans to build and expand biogas facilities, experts believe that generally investors' interest in such projects in the near future will be lower than in 2018-19. This is associated with changes in the market rules (revision of legislation to promote energy production from renewable energy sources in general and biomass in particular) and with the instability of payments for green tariff, which started late last year.

"We will not see a burst of construction of biogas plants like in 2018-19, although single projects will be implemented. Perhaps, stimulation of other areas of biogas consumption and biomethane will give a new impetus to the industry development. Time will show," Petro Kucheruk says.

Previously reported that Aiaks-Dnipro, Ukraine's largest biomass thermal power plant (TPP) with a capacity of 16 MW, was commissioned in Dnipro.