Authors

Olha Yevstihnieieva¹;  ¹ State Enegy Efficiency Agency in Ukraine , Ukraine

Discussion

The war in Ukraine, which has caused immense suffering and resulted in the destruction of critical infrastructure, demands urgent action to rebuild the country and its energy system.   

Ukraine heavily depended on fossil fuels, which accounted for some 70% of its primary energy supply in 2020. The Russian invasion has resulted in the occupation (the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and about 44% of total thermal power capacities) and destruction of critical energy infrastructure triggering a sharp decline in total energy supply, while electricity demand had fallen by 40% by October 2022. 

Therefore, today Ukraine can set an example to the whole world on how to diversify fossil fuel supplies and stop being dependent on Russia, for whom fossil fuels are weapons of mass destruction. The green transition in Ukraine is the basis of the energy security of Ukraine and Europe.

In view of the high untapped potential of bioenergy, hydro, solar and wind generation could constitute the building blocks of Ukraine’s future energy system, contributing up to nearly 80% of total energy generation by 2050. 

Realizing these ambitious goals would require an increase in annual investments by EUR 30 billion per year, or approximately 15% of GDP by 2050 across various sectors, including transport, residential buildings, industry, power generation, and renewables.