The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, signed the law "On the combined production of heat and electricity (cogeneration) and the use of waste energy potential" regarding the development of highly efficient cogeneration" (draft law No. 4527).
The document will create conditions for highly efficient production of thermal and electrical energy, implementing all the requirements of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, the press service of the State Agency for Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving reports on Facebook.
It is noted that cogeneration, that is, the technological process of simultaneous production of two types of energy, is considered highly efficient if the savings of primary energy, compared to separate production, reach:
- more than 10% – for installations with a capacity of more than 1 MW;
- more than 0% – for small cogeneration plants with a capacity of 50 kW to 1 MW and micro cogeneration plants with a capacity of up to 50 kW.
The press service explained that the development of highly efficient cogeneration will increase the efficiency of fuel use, as well as reduce the need for energy resources. In addition, it will provide the possibility of decentralization of electricity generation, which is critically necessary in the conditions of terrorist attacks in Russia.
The message added that thanks to highly efficient cogeneration plants, Ukrainian cities will receive:
- reliable, constant access of consumers to thermal and electrical energy;
- energy security;
- energy efficiency;
- saving energy resources;
- decarbonization
It is noted that in order to stimulate the transition to highly efficient cogeneration, the document provides for:
- replacing the qualification mechanism of cogeneration plants with the qualification of highly efficient cogeneration according to the requirements of the EU Directive on energy efficiency;
- introduction of guarantees of the origin of electricity produced by highly efficient cogeneration plants.
The press service emphasized that the qualification of highly efficient cogeneration and the issuance of guarantees of origin will be carried out by the State Energy Efficiency Agency.
The message added that in the EU, highly efficient cogeneration already provides 12% of electricity and 16% of thermal energy used in homes, industry and district heating. This helps to save energy in the equivalent of about 30 billion m3 per year, of which 15 billion m3 is a direct saving of natural gas.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the VRU committee on energy and housing and communal services recommended to the Parliament to adopt in the second reading and as a whole draft law No. 4527 "On the combined production of thermal and electric energy (cogeneration) and the use of waste energy potential" regarding the development of highly efficient cogeneration.
