Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed a memorandum on strategic partnership in the field of renewable gases, namely hydrogen and biomethane. The signing took place within the framework of a joint meeting of the Government of Ukraine and the European Commission, as well as following the meeting of Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Therefore, Ukraine and the EU will jointly work on production, trade, transportation, storage and use of renewable gases.

The establishment of cooperation was preceded by long and fruitful work, in which the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (SAEE) also took part.

Partnership in biomethane and hydrogen issues were also discussed recently in a series of meetings between the President of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Minister of Energy and the Head of the State Energy Efficiency Agency with the Vice President of the European Commission for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans in January this year.

According to the memorandum, cooperation will include sharing information and assessments of scenarios and forecasts regarding the demand for renewable gases, developing the regulatory field, harmonizing certification documents in accordance with EU requirements, identifying and eliminating barriers, developing infrastructure, mobilizing financial and investment instruments, developing energy clusters in Ukraine.

"The launch of a partnership with the EU in renewable gases is a significant event that will give a significant impetus to our joint movement towards sustainable energy development, ensuring energy security and economy decarbonization in the future", commented Valeriy Bezus - Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, welcoming the signing of the memorandum.

There will be active work on the memorandum’s implementation. State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine has already started working on it.

State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (SAEE) has been actively creating conditions for renewable gas production development. The SAEE has already developed the register for biomethane guarantees of origin. Besides, the SAEE in cooperation with international partners has been exploring the promising ways of their circulation in the EU. The draft Hydrogen Strategy of Ukraine has been also developed with the active participation of the SAEE.

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The European Commission has ambitious goals - to achieve the production of 10 million tons of "green" hydrogen per year and 10 million tons of its import, as well as to generate 35 billion m3 of biomethane per year in 2030. The EU also envisaged international cooperation, with Ukraine as well.

Communication and Public Relations Department