IEA's workshop on Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Advanced District Heating for Ukrainian stakeholders

On March 23-25 the International Energy Agency (IEA) along with co-host, the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine, organized the workshop in Kyiv.  IEA analysts led the discussions on energy efficiency in buildings and advanced district heating, as well as a training seminar on energy efficiency indicators and policy prioritization, for around 70 participants from Ukraine’s public and private sectors and non-governmental organizations. This event was a part of a series of IEA engagement activities with Ukraine on energy efficiency co-ordinated by the International Low-Carbon Energy Technology Platform.

Ukraine to stop buying Russian gas from April 1 -energy minister

He also said that Ukraine was confident Russia would have to lower the price it charges Kiev for gas as increased imports from the European Union have greatly reduced Ukraine's reliance on supplies from Gazprom. Russia and Ukraine are discussing a new pricing arrangement once the current package expires at the end of March. Read more at http://www.reuters.com

Nuclear Power in Ukraine

Ukraine is heavily dependent on nuclear energy – it has 15 reactors generating about half of its electricity. Currently most of its  nuclear fuel and nuclear services come from Russia.
The government plans to maintain nuclear share in electricity production to 2030 and is looking to the West for both technology and investment in its nuclear plants. Read more at http://www.world-nuclear.org.

"Green" tariffs for renewable energy sources are back to levels defined by legislation

One month ago Ukrainian government cut "green" tariffs by half  as part of emergency measures in energy sector. Now government did not prolonged emergency measures and "green" tariffs were reestablished to previous levels. Read more at http://www.unn.com.ua

Stagnation of Ukrainian metallurgy

Annual steel production in Ukraine dropped by 17%, from 32.7 million tonne in 2013 to 27.2  million tonne in 2014. Revenue from metallurgical export, which previously was around $1 billion,  now is lower by 40%. In his article former Minister of Industry Valeriy Mazur analyses current  situation in Ukrainian metallurgy. Read more at http://gazeta.dt.ua

Financing a New Ukraine: A Conversation With Natalie Jaresko

Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko joins Reuben Jeffrey III, president and chief executive officer of Rockefeller & Co., to discuss her country's economy, including its ambitious reform agenda and recent International Monetary Fund package. Jaresko begins by describing her personal path into the Ukrainian cabinet following the February 2014 revolution. She emphasizes the many strengths of the Ukrainian economy despite the financial stress of the ongoing conflict against Russia-backed anti-government rebels in the country's eastern regions. Jaresko goes on to address Ukraine's relationship with the European Union, planned financial restructuring, and anti-corruption efforts. Read more at http://www.cfr.org

Ukraine, World Bank sign credit agreement worth $378.4 mln to upgrade power grid

The loan includes $330 million from the World Bank and $48.425 million from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF). The investment will help to restore the national power grid system, increase Ukraine's energy security and reduce the impact on climate change. he new project will help Ukraine integrate its power grid with the European power grid, facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources and increase the efficiency of electricity transmission. Read more at http://en.interfax.com.ua

Ukrainian energy minister, head of EU Delegation to Ukraine discuss resumption of gas transport monitoring

Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn vowed his support for the EU's idea to resume the monitoring of natural gas transport to EU countries across Ukraine at a meeting with Head of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine Jan Tombinski. Ukraine was granted status as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) candidate country in 2013, and therefore it is supposed to publish its first report on companies' payments and government revenues in the oil and gas sector within a two-year period from the granting of candidate status. The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry has set up a multilateral group coordinating the implementation of the EITI in Ukraine.  Read more at http://rbth.com

In Ukraine, a clash of two mentalities

Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov discusses the turmoil in Ukraine and what is really dividing the country. Ukraine’s “Euromaidan” revolt is described as the European Union vs. Russia: is that an oversimplification? That’s a cliché many journalists use for a very complex situation. For Ukrainians, Europe doesn’t mean the EU, it means a country without corruption: with rule of law, civil society, civilized life with European standards. What about the propaganda war — Russian-speakers vs. Ukrainian speakers, “fascists” vs. “terrorists?” On language, one example explains everything. About seven to eight million Russian speakers live in Ukraine, and about 50 per cent of the population speaks Russian. About 80 per cent of people in Kyiv speak Russian, but you’ll not find any pro-Russian movement .So what really divides Ukraine? It’s a clash of two mentalities — the post-Soviet collective mentality, where people lack initiative and are taught to depend on the boss or factory owner for perks. And people who start businesses and take responsibility themselves. Read more at http://www.thestar.com

IMF: Energy reforms key to Ukraine's success

Energy sector reforms and the addressing of "deep-rooted" structural issues in Ukraine will return the country's economy to growth, the IMF said. The performance of Ukraine's energy sector is a vital concern for a European market as 20 percent of the Russian natural gas headed west runs through the Soviet-era pipeline network in Ukraine. Trilateral talks to discuss gas-related dates may take place as early as next week. Read more at http://www.upi.com

From Chernobyl to Fukushima: Why now is the time for a global agreement on preventing technological disasters

An expected, 8,000 people will take part next week (March 14-18) in an historic World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. It’s a fitting location; this month marks the four-year anniversary since the Fukushima nuclear meltdown reminded the world of the threat posed by technological disaster. According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, more than 1,000 technological disasters have been reported worldwide since 2010. Read more at http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com

Hidden costs of greenhouse gas emissions

The study, published in the journal Climatic Change, is the first to pull together a proper accounting of the hidden costs of greenhouse gas emissions. It shows the true (and much higher) cost that Americans  pay in dollars at the pump and light switch—or in human lives at the emergency room. If all greenhouse gas  damages are added in like the gas tax, a gallon of regular in the United States would really cost $6.25. The price of diesel would be a whopping $7.72 a gallon. Read more at http://qz.com

IMF Approves $17.5 Billion Aid Package for Ukraine

The International Monetary Fund approved a $17.5 billion loan program for Ukraine, including an immediate $5 billion disbursement, to help the former Soviet republic stave off default amid a conflict with pro-Russia rebels. About $2.7 billion of the initial $5 billion payment will be allocated to budget support.  The aid is part of what the Washington-based lender and Ukraine’s government hope will be a $40 billion package, including contributions from the U.S. and European Union and a prospective $15 billion in savings to be negotiated with Ukraine’s bondholders. Read more at http://www.bloomberg.com

European Commission published its proposals for the Energy Union

The paper sets out the Commission’s thinking on what it describes as the biggest energy project since the creation of the Coal and Steel Community. The vision, put simply, is to create a bloc where surplus energy in one place can be moved to where there is a shortage, thereby bolstering the EU’s resilience to shortages. The Energy Union was given political impetus after the Ukraine crisis brutally exposed Europe's energy dependence and vulnerability. Shortages caused by Russia turning off the taps in 2009 have prompted the union to develop plans which go beyond to encompass issues such as climate change. Read more at http://www.euractiv.com

The draft of the Energy Strategy of Ukraine till 2035

The draft Strategy is prepared by the National Institute for Strategic Studies. The Energy Strategy of Ukraine defines the purpose and the methods of implementing Ukraine’s energy policy in the long term, as well as outlines the mechanisms for this implementation. In this way, unlike the current edition of the Energy Strategy of Ukraine through 2030, this Strategy is not a program of action or an organizational and administrative document regulating the development of the fuel and energy complex of Ukraine. This Strategy is a political document formalizing the country’s policy, defining the objectives of the public administration system, and setting the mechanism for focusing all public efforts on the achievement of the development goals set for the entire energy sector of Ukraine. Read more at http://www.niss.gov.ua/

Ukraine Energy Minister: EU Should Share Transit Risks, Help Pay for Gas Storage

Ukrainian Minister of Energy and the Coal Industry Vladimir Demchishin has suggested the EU should partly pay the costs for filling underground gas storage facilities in his country to cut the risk of possible interruptions in transit to Europe. Ukraine has to accumulate about 20 billion cubic meters of gas in storage to ensure stable supplies to Europe during the winter. Ukraine pays 15 percent more for Russian gas than for the fuel from Slovakia and other EU countries, said Demchishin. The ‘winter package’ sealed last October fixed the price at $378 per 1,000 cubic meters. However, a drop in the cost of oil led to lower prices, with gas now supplied to Ukraine at $329. Read more at http://www.globalresearch.ca

Ways to secure energy future for Ukraine, Europe

In recent days, Russia has once more threatened the security of Europe’s gas supplies by announcing that it will refuse to pipe gas through Ukraine and will require that a southern alternative be built through Turkey. The European gas supply system has become a vital issue, given Europe’s significant reliance on Russian imports and the conflict arising from Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. Europe depends on gas imports from Russia for 30 percent of its requirements, of which about 40 percent are transported through Ukrainian pipelines.The main deficiency currently is that Gazprom contracts continue to prevent gas swap agreements.The introduction of gas swaps are normal to competitive gas markets and would dramatically improve the security of supply for Ukraine and other EU buyers. It would materially inhibit Russia’s ability to punish targeted countries with selective cuts in supply. Read more at http://www.kyivpost.com

Ukraine seeks nuclear energy independence

Nuclear power currently accounts for about 50 percent of Ukraine's electricity balance, and the country has the eighth-largest nuclear capacity in the world. Until recently, almost all nuclear fuel was supplied by Russia's TVEL Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned Rosatom Corporation. Recent gas disputes with Russia and shortages of coal due to the conflict in Donbas have prompted Ukrainian officials to reassess energy policies and work toward nuclear energy independence.On December 30th in Brussels, state enterprise Energoatom, which runs all four Ukrainian nuclear power plants, signed a contract with US-based Westinghouse Electric Company for a significant expansion in nuclear fuel supply over the next five years. Read more at http://ukraine.setimes.com

Rescuing its economy is Ukraine's top challenge

A brutal combination of war and currency devaluation has pushed Ukraine to the brink of insolvency. Its debts, denominated largely in dollars, hover around 100 percent of gross domestic product, up from about 40 percent a year ago. Principal and interest due over the next three years exceed $27 billion, equivalent to more than a quarter of government expenditure. Only swift and radical debt relief can help the country out of its economic quagmire. Read more at http://www.bloombergview.com

Ukrainian energy regulatory commission has drastically increased natural gas and heating tariffs

National Commission for State Energy and Public Utilities Regulation increased minimal natural gas tariff to 3600 Hryvnia per 1000 cubic meters for residential sector and to 2934 Hryvnia for district heating companies. Average heat tariff grew up to 537 Hryvnia per 1 Gcal.
Read more at http://ua.interfax.com.ua
                      http://www.epravda.com.ua 
                      http://finance.obozrevatel.com/ 

EU unveils plans for historic single energy market

The EU unveiled plans on Feb. 25 for a continent-wide single energy market to reduce its uneasy reliance on Russian supplies and cut a massive annual import bill of 400  billion euros. The European Union imported 53 percent of its energy needs last year , a dangerous vulnerability in itself at a time of growing global insecurity, not least tensions with Russia. The plans for 'energy union' include completing the single market, increasing energy security, boosting efficiency, reducing the use of fossil fuels and increased research on new energy sources. Some 75 percent of the EU housing stock is energy inefficient, the transport sector relies on oil, 90 percent of which is imported, while distorting subsidies cost 120 billion euros, the report said. Worse still, EU electricity prices are 30 percent higher than in the United States and gas prices more than double, putting the bloc at a serious economic disadvantage. Read more at http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/

First wind power plant is built in Western Ukraine

Project is implemented in city of Stariy Sambor, Lviv Oblast in partnership with EBRD.  Bank provided EUR 13 million financing of total EUR 20 million project cost. Two modern wind turbines have total capacity 3.3 MW and can provide electricity for 600 houses. Read more at http://oil-gas-energy.com.ua/