Metinvest Group intends to invest $18.1 million to equip its enterprises with solar power plants (SPPs) with a total capacity of 37 MW.
Metinvest's Chief Operating Officer Olexander Mironenko told Forbes Ukraine.
It is planned that Central Mining and Kametstal will get their own SPPs.
The top manager explained that solar generation will help reduce the carbon footprint of Metinvest's products, but not as much as equipment modernization and the transition to electrometallurgy.
The carbon factor is now very important for companies exporting steel products to the EU. This is due to the fact that starting from the beginning of 2026, they will be obliged to pay a border carbon tax under the CBAM mechanism.
According to Oleksandr Myronenko, Metinvest needs time to meet EU standards. He believes it would be appropriate to postpone Ukraine's CBAM obligations for 3-5 years, taking into account the war.
Metinvest Group does not yet see any point in developing energy independence for its foreign operations, as they have a stable electricity supply. However, together with DTEK, they are considering the construction of a solar power plant on the territory of the Bulgarian Promet plant, in particular to sell electricity.
To increase its own energy independence, the company is investing $44 million in solar and gas-fired generation. These energy sources are expected to cover half of the group's electricity needs by 2030.
As EcoPolitic recently reported, Dnipro Metallurgical Plant presented a comprehensive strategy for eco-modernization of production within the framework of the European Green Deal, which includes the construction of renewable energy sources.
