Coal phase out in Ukraine: Exchange of experiences between German and Ukrainian stakeholders
Ukraine has set itself ambitious climate targets – the country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990. By 2060, all sectors are to be completely climate neutral. Achieving this goal will require significant changes that will encompass the entire economy.
Against this background, the meeting of the working group on energy and energy transition of the AHK Ukraine took place in digital format on 02 December 2021. After an introduction by AHK Chairman Alexander Markus and Khrystyna Kasyanova, Business Development Manager at AHK, a panel of experts discussed German experiences and findings on the topic of coal phase-out and their possible implications for Ukraine.
Stanislaw Tillich, Federal Government Commissioner for Strucutral Change in the Ukrainian Coal-Mining Regions, focused in his contribution on the closures of Ukrainian coal mines and the accompanying inevitable structural change in the coal regions, a topic Tillich knows from his own experience from his active political time.
Manuel von Mettenheim, an analyst at Berlin Economics (Low Carbon Ukraine Project), spoke about the decarbonisation of the Ukrainian electricity system and emphasised that reforms on the electricity market and a higher CO2 price are necessary for the urgently needed improvement of the investment climate. Von Mettenheim referred to the current publication on the National Emission Reduction Plan (NERP).
Representatives of German and Ukrainian companies also took part. A lively discussion ensued on the transformative challenges that lie ahead for Ukraine on its path to climate neutrality.