Innovative energy policy to transform energy systems in Ukraine
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Innovative energy policy to transform energy systems in Ukraine Ming Yang 1 & Blerta Cela 2 & Fan Yang 3 Received: 27 September 2019 / Accepted: 10 October 2019/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract
To enhance its national energy security, the government of Ukraine has adopted many energy polices since 1989. Unfortunately, most of these policies have proved to be unsuccessful. The country’s energy supply is still highly dependent on fossil fuel imports. This paper provides a comprehensive review on Ukraine’s challenges from economic, social, political, and environmental aspects that are related to energy and carbon emission policies. An empirical methodology is used to analyze the energy situation and project energy demand by 2050. A new roadmap of energy investments is made from 2035–2050 with an objective of decarbonizing the Ukrainian energy system by 2050. Such roadmap is in line with the global commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% over the next decade and to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This article recommends 12 polices for the government ranging from stopping subsidy to fossil energy to accounting environment costs in fossil energy consumption, levying taxes on polluters, privatizing government–owned companies to adapt the Euopean Union (EU) energy systems, and terminating gas import from Russia. If these proposed energy policies are successfully implemented, the Ukrainian fossil fuel-based energy system will be transformed to a highly efficient energy system with zero-carbon emissions by 2050. Keywords Energy independence policy . decarbonization technologies . Zero-carbon economy initiative
* Ming Yang [email protected] Blerta Cela [email protected] Fan Yang [email protected]
1
The International Fund for China’s Environment, Washington, DC, USA
2
UNDP in Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
3
University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
1 Introduction Ukraine continues to make the international headlines. The new administration of Ukraine provides opportunities to address the energy and climate change challenges; namely, Ukraine remains one of the least energy efficient countries and 24th largest emitter of greenhouse gasses globally. Facing unprecedented energy and climate change challenges, Ukraine’s energy policies are at a critical juncture. Compared with other European countries, independent Ukraine is still highly dependent on fossil energy and inefficient use of energy. In 2016, Ukraine’s energy mix consisted of coal (28.7%), gas (27.4%), nuclear (25.1%), oil (3.7%), and renewables (4.4%) (SSSU 2018). As of 2017, Ukraine’s energy intensity was 2.6 times as high as the average of OECD countries (SAEE 2018). High energy intensity has caused problems of high carbon intensity per capita and per unit of GDP output. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel combustion in Ukraine in 2017 amounted to 223.2 million tonnes of CO2eq, 65.8 % lower than in the base 1990 level, and 4.3 % lower than in 2016 (MENRU 2019) (see Fig.
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