Ukraine

Country: Ukraine

Document type: Draft Roadmap and draft Strategy

Title: Draft Roadmap for Production and Use of Hydrogen in Ukraine

Draft Roadmap for production and use of hydrogen in Ukraine | UNECE

Released: March 2021

Title: Hydrogen Strategy of Ukraine

Released: 2021

Summary Points:

  • The draft Roadmap for production and Use of Hydrogen in Ukraine was published in March 2021; its preparation was associated with the Workshop: Attaining Carbon Neutrality: The Role of Hydrogen, held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ENECE).
  • The Roadmap presents three implementation phases, with UNECE noting special consideration given to the use of hydrogen in road transport, which is considered an integral part of the overall Roadmap:
    • First phase (2021-23) – Assessment of the structure of the economy and sources of emissions to help highlight priority areas of focus.
    • Second phase (2024-26) – Policies prioritisation, hydrogen market and supply chain development and demonstration & scale-up.
    • Third phase (2027-29) – Establish a portfolio of policies and strategic hydrogen projects development, regulatory reform, technology development.
  • The Roadmap identifies four Pillars for the introduction of hydrogen technologies in Ukraine:
    • Pillar 1. Transformation of electrical power supply and heating systems.
    • Pillar 2. Transformation of industrial process heat.
    • Pillar 3. Transformation of the transport sector.
    • Pillar 4. National gas pipelines system and scaling-up of hydrogen manufacturing, storage and transportation.
  • The Roadmap was to act as a foundation stone in the preparation of a National Hydrogen Strategy, expected to be released in 2021.
  • The Hydrogen Strategy of Ukraine, prepared by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, was developed as a draft for public discussion with the final strategy to be submitted for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
  • The strategy includes a staged implementation approach:
    • First stage or short-term goals (2022-2025) – laying the foundation of hydrogen energy and launching the export market of green hydrogen. The priority tasks include developing a legal framework to ensure the introduction of hydrogen technologies; creating conditions for attracting investment in green hydrogen production and rapid launch of the green hydrogen export market; preparation of the Gas Transport System (GTS) of Ukraine for the transition to the transportation of green hydrogen.
    • Second stage or medium-term goals (2026-2030) – diversification of primary energy sources due to the growth of hydrogen production. Actions initiated in the first stage would support the growing use of hydrogen in existing and new areas. Hydrogen use in the medium term would be concentrated in transport, housing, utilities and industry.
    • Longer term goals – rapid expansion of the market, including export. This stage would see the widespread introduction of green hydrogen technologies, and the Ukraine would need to resolve the issue of transition of infrastructure for the transportation and distribution of natural gas mixed with hydrogen to a system of transportation and distribution of pure hydrogen using a network of pipelines to increase green hydrogen production in all areas with relevant natural renewable energy supply.

In February 2023, the European Union and Ukraine executed a Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Biomethane, Hydrogen and Other Synthetic Gases that included, amongst other things, working together to develop by 2030 a Ukraine-EU hydrogen corridor as one of the three major hydrogen corridors identified as key actions by 2030 in the RePowerEU action plan.  In January 2025, the Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, along with several organisations and companies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish and support the implementation of the “Ukraine–EU Hydrogen Corridor” initiative.

 

Reviewed: January 2025