By
3 min ago 2 min read
The Ukraine government has greenlit a programme to advance the development of domestic biomethane production as Europe turns away from Russian gas supply.
The Programme for the Development of Biomethane Production is part of the country’s aim to become a major producer of biogases and an exporter to the EU.
It includes the construction of new biomethane plants, modernisation of existing biogas facilities, creation of investment incentives for businesses, and deregulation of procedures for connecting biomethane producers to gas transmission and distribution networks.
“Our ambitious goal is to reach biomethane production of one billion cubic metres per year by 2030 and increase it to 2.1 billion cubic metres (bcm) over the following five years,” said Denys Shmyhal, Head of the Ministry of Energy and First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The first stage targets the launch of eight biomethane plants and creating an institutional framework for a functioning biomethane sector, according to Shmyhal.
This year Ukraine plans to gain access to the EU database on renewable fuels and initiate an agreement with the EU on mutual recognition of guarantees of origin for biomethane.
The country currently has six operational plants, from which it exports biomethane to Germany to replace Russian hydrocarbons.
The plan fits with a recently finalised strategy from the EU to fully Russian gas imports by late 2027, having cut reliance from 45% of total imports in 2021 to 12% in 2025.
Key steps include banning spot market Russian gas within weeks of the regulation’s February 2026 entry, with a complete ban for all liquefied natural gas and pipeline gas contracts by autumn 2027.
Ukraine has the potential to produce over 8.8 bcm of biomethane per year, primarily from agricultural waste, according to research.
However, despite the recent growth in facilities, there is still a long way to go. Total sector capacity stands at around 100 million cubic metres per year against estimated national gas consumption of around 20 bcm.
Before the Russia–Ukraine war, the country planned for biomethane production to reach 1 bcm by 2030, rising to 20 bcm by 2050.
This would require around 4,000 plants and €40bn in investment, according to estimates from the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, which represents the sector in the country.
