Ukraine needs $40 billion to implement energy and climate plan, – Ministry of Economy

Ukraine needs $40 billion to implement energy and climate plan, – Ministry of Economy shutterstock
Hanna Velyka

Currently, the Ministry knows where only a quarter of the required amount will come from

To achieve the goals set out in the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the period up to 2030, about $40 billion is needed.

This amount was announced by the DIXI Group analytical center with reference to the words of Andriy Teliupa, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.

The official emphasized that our country submitted its first integrated report on the implementation of the NECP to the Energy Community Secretariat on time – on March 15 – on a par with the EU countries, in compliance with all European regulations and legislation. The availability of the National Energy Plan is one of the conditions for the negotiation process and Ukraine's accession to the EU.

The Ministry of Economy estimates that $40 billion will be needed to implement the plan in 6 main areas. Andriy Teliupa said that the leading sources of funding are:

  • Ukraine Facility program (about €9.3 billion in grants and loans under Pillar II)
  • bilateral agreements
  • programs of international financial organizations;
  • government initiatives.

Andriy Teliupa did not provide any information about possible agreements, programs or initiatives, as well as the estimated amounts that could be raised through them. Therefore, more than 75% of the necessary funding is “up in the air.” This is alarming, as experts at events dedicated to monitoring Ukraine's implementation of the NECP emphasize the key role of financing for the successful implementation of Ukraine's ambitious energy and climate goals.

Key provisions of the National Energy and Climate Plan

The NECP contains a number of decarbonization goals, namely

  • Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 65% compared to 1990 levels (which coincides with the ambitious goal stated in Ukraine's Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement INDC2)
  • achieving climate neutrality of the energy sector by 2050 and the entire economy by 2060;
  • decommissioning of coal-fired generation by 2035;
  • reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels;
  • strengthening the adaptive capacity and resilience of social, economic and environmental systems to climate change;
  • achievement of a 27% share of renewable energy sources in the structure of total final energy consumption in 2030 (in 2020, this figure was 9%);
  • achieving a 35% share of RES in gross final energy consumption by 2030 in the heating and cooling sector, 25.4% in the energy mix, and 14% in transportation;
  • achieving a 25% share of RES in total electricity production by 2030;
  • reaching a share of alternative energy sources (RES and secondary energy resources) in heat production of 30% in 2025 and 40% in 2035;
  • increasing the use of alternative fuels (biofuels or their mixtures with traditional fuels) and electricity (generated from both traditional and renewable sources) in the transport sector to 50% by 2030.

As a reminder, in March 2024, the Ministry of Economy presented the draft NECP until 2030 to the European Commission. On June 25, the day the EU accession negotiations began, the government approved the plan.

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