Ukraine sees itself as one of the major exporters of hydrogen to the European Union and intends to take a leading role in the field of hydrogen as a reliable partner of the EU.
As one of the largest transit countries, Ukraine, in addition to its favorable geographical location, has sufficient land area with enormous potential for the necessary expansion of renewable electricity resources for the production of green hydrogen. Hydrogen can be transported via the existing gas pipelines, which are connected to the international transmission network and can be modernized or converted for hydrogen transport.
Currently, the Ukrainian government is working on the Hydrogen Strategy. The paper will cover hydrogen production, transport and storage, and will include an analysis of potential resources for hydrogen production.
The Ukrainian Hydrogen Council presented a draft strategy paper on the implementation of the Hydrogen Strategy in Ukraine, in late 2021. The strategy paper contains a list of measures required for the "green transformation" of Ukraine. According to this draft, the implementation of the hydrogen strategy in Ukraine should be carried out in stages:
Stage 2022 - 2025 includes short-term goals:
Creation of a framework for the hydrogen economy in Ukraine and introduction of an export market for green hydrogen.
Stage 2026 - 2030 relies on medium-term goals:
Diversification of primary energy sources due to the growth of hydrogen production
Stage 2030 - 2050 includes long-term goals:
rapid expansion of the hydrogen market including exports.
Ukraine mainly relies on international cooperation to accelerate the implementation of the Hydrogen Strategy. Suitable framework conditions and a reliable regulatory basis for the production, storage and transport of hydrogen have to be created. In addition, the development of the necessary standards, the establishment of a certification system and investments in large-scale projects are the primary goals of the Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Hydrogen Council was founded in 2018 and has set itself the goal of bringing together representatives of energy industry and science, public authorities and potential investors. In this way, efforts are united to jointly advance the topics of energy independence of the country and implementation of the Roadmap for Hydrogen Energy in Ukraine.
