Can Ukraine replace the share of Russian gas in Europe?

However, there is no magic pill on gas addiction. The process of "recovery" will take time and "complex treatment", which includes three components: reduction of consumption, increase of production and replacement of Russian gas. Video Day Due to the initial purpose of gas transportation infrastructure - transit from east to west - after the complete refusal of Europe from Russian gas in the same position will be both the Russian gas transportation system and Ukrainian.

Therefore, given the energy transition, Ukraine should strengthen the integration into the European market - to become an integral part. We can offer the EU an alternative to Russian gas in the future - natural gas of Ukrainian origin and biomethane or hydrogen. Unfortunately, the volume and terms of such a prospects are determined by the war and our own ability to focus on the implementation of these plans.

The REPowreu action plan involves creating conditions for consumption of biomethane in the EU at 35 billion cubic meters. m. Part of these volumes will be imported from third countries where much attention is paid to Ukraine. I note that today in Europe biogas is produced and consumed mainly locally. However, as soon as the first biomethane installations are available, there should be no formal obstacles to its export to European countries.

And it is not necessary to export directly a specific biomethane molecule. From the moment of entering the gas transmission system of Ukraine, it automatically "receives a ticket" to the European. Ukraine has a chance to take a worthy place among biomethane suppliers to Europe. The transformation of the perspective into reality requires investment in the installation itself, establishing contacts with markets and eliminating all obstacles at the regulation level.

But unlike other major investment projects, the preconditions on the EU and Ukraine side have successfully combined: Europe needs to replace Russian gas, and we are a revival of the economy at the expense of supply that is in demand in friendly markets. It is not quite clear how the EU plans to increase biomethane production to 35 billion cubic meters. m. However, there are calculations how much Ukraine can offer.

According to various estimates of experts, in Ukraine it is really possible to achieve biomethane production of 1 billion cubic meters. m in the coming years. And only the pace of industry development depends on us. Given the development of technology, this figure is likely to grow, and public policy can either develop or stop this movement. Biomethane is an ecological gas from food and livestock waste, wastewater sediment and organic household waste.

Thus, primarily agrarians and cities are interested parties. Such prospects allow Ukraine not only about the desire to achieve its own energy independence, but also about the opportunity to become a player of the European market. However, only biomethane to replace the Russian share in Europe's gas market is not enough. The development of the biomethane industry should occur in parallel with the increase in production in Ukraine.

Moreover, in volumes designed not only for the replacement of imports for the needs of Ukraine, but also for export. To do this, we need to consolidate efforts to attract foreign investors, European and US oil and gas companies. It is worth paying attention to the potential of the so -called "Renaissance of natural gas production" in Western Ukraine. After all, from examination on the scale of production in the USSR did not consider the necessary production on the local wells with "small" debit.

But now such volumes can also come in handy. Significant resource potential is associated with deep horizons and heavy supply. Deep horizons (more than 5–6 km) and dense sandstones - the so -called heavy -needed reserves - are potentially estimated at 200–250 billion cubic meters. m natural gas. They require significant investments and modern technologies.

In addition, it is important to synchronize strategic planning of all energy industries, so that in the future our GTS is always available where gas production is planned or its consumption. Modern technologies in symbiosis with the potential of the Park of Ukraine can replace the share of Russian gas in Europe, which will not cover the imports of LNG and energy efficiency measures.

Such a mutual partnership is beneficial for both parties, as Ukraine can offer a branched gas transportation infrastructure and powerful underground gas storage facilities in addition to gas. In this "wellness anti -Russian therapy" the most painful for all countries is the process of reducing gas consumption. As of August 9, the EU plan to reduce gas consumption throughout the European Union began by 15%. It is possible to mitigate this process by increasing energy efficiency.

First of all, this should be taken care of in Ukraine. Europeans who have long lived in high energy prices have long realized that the figure in the receipt depends not only on gas prices, but also on the amount of consumption. As they say in EU countries: the cheapest energy is not consumed. After the victory of Ukraine, we will get a chance to rebuild the country from scratch.

It is not only about infrastructure, but also about the economy, energy, approaches to the development of industries and commercial relations with the EU. Ukrainian gas, whether natural origin or restored can be an effective contribution to Europe's energy security. Russia has made a lot of efforts to permanently displace itself from the European gas market.