Page 62 - UKRRptApr21

9.1.10 Renewables sector news
The world invested a record $501.3bn in 2020 on renewable power, while the total amount of invested into Ukraine’ renewables reached $1.4bn by the end of 2020 while in 2019 investors injected a record €3.7bn in the construction of solar, wind and biogas power plants in Ukraine adding 4.5 gigawatts of green energy production to the electricity grid. Among the most serious problems for renewable producers in 2020 were delays in payments of the green tariff (only 47% of were paid off), significant cut of "green" tariff, as well as the freezing several solar projects, according to Yaroslav Petrov, partner at Asters law firm.
The share of renewables in Ukraine’s energy balance to rise up to 25%,
according to the National Economic Strategy until 2030 (NES2030) that was released by the government last week, Unian reported on March 5. Renewables has been one of the few sectors to attract significant foreign investment thanks to extremely generous “green tariffs” offered by the previous government of former President Petro Poroshenko. Foreign investors have spent some $4bn on setting up green power sources, which now account for 8% of all power generated in the country, according to the government. The State Statistics Service said by the end of 2020, the share of hydropower generation amounted to 5.4% in the total energy balance. Solar and wind generation stood at about 2.7% of all power.
By contrast, Europe installed 14.7 GW of new wind capacity last year. Wind farm generation covered 16.4% of electricity consumption in Europe, reports WindEurope.
$2bn project to build the world’s largest solar plant around Chornobyl seems to have been largely dreamed up to pump of the stock of the US company, Energokon, according to analysts interviewed by Radio Free Europe in a 2,500-word investigative report. The 3-gigawatt plant also was designed to export hydrogen and to create a 5G mobile network. The project was never announced in Ukraine, appears to have no official Ukrainian support, and is largely notably for creating excitement among penny stock traders.
9.1.11 Metallurgy & mining sector news
Ukraine plans to become a major producer of lithium batteries for Europe’s electric cars, Prime Minister Shmygal told reporters on March 5, reviewing talks he had in Brussels last month. By 2030, Europe will need 18 times more lithium than now, by 2050, 60 times more, he said. “Ukraine has the largest lithium deposits on the European continent,” he said. “Europe sees Ukraine as a partner, both in production and processing...We are interested in added value, production, processing, and the maximum creation of the finished product. Again, we do not want to be just a supplier of raw materials, as we have before.”
62 UKRAINE Country Report April 2021 www.intellinews.com