Germany to increase production of biofuels from waste in Ukraine - agriculture ministry
2013-01-04 12:10:21
Germany is planning to increase the production of thermal energy and biogas from agricultural waste in Ukraine, using German technology and equipment. To date, the country has about 30 such projects, the agriculture ministry reported.
"The projects include the creation of systems for the production of biofuels, which will generate thermal energy and biogas from waste," according to Viktor Tymoschuk, an expert with the ministry's engineering and farm machinery department.
According to him, Ukraine now produces 700,000 tons of solid biofuel a year. For comparison, each German plant is capable of making 800,000 tons per year.
The ministry also said that in 2013 the two countries are planning to put this cooperation to a new level with plans to promote the production of biofuels in Ukraine, including the creation of pilot bio-energy complexes.
According to analysts, having a large agricultural sector, which produces a significant amount of agricultural waste and manure, Ukraine has a significant potential for bioenergy production.
In October last year, Ukraine launched its first pilot project for the production of solid biofuels in Vinnytsia region. Currently, this country has six biogas plants. Two of them are located in western and southern Ukraine. At the moment, the amount of biogas production in Ukraine is estimated at 30-35 million cubic meters.
At a recent joint meeting of the Ukraine-Germany council, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Environment of Germany, Jurgen Keinhorst, said that pilot projects in this field may also win German investments.