In pursuance of the agreements between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, a memorandum of cooperation in the hydrogen economy sector was signed between Naftogaz of Ukraine and the German energy company RWE (Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk).
This document was signed in the context of the visit of the Federal Chancellor to Ukraine and in pursuance of the agreements on joint development of the hydrogen economy reached between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Angela Merkel during the meeting in Berlin in July 2021.
Following the talks in Kyiv, the President of Ukraine said that the Ukrainian state has an ambitious plan for "green" transformation.
"We have invited the German party to join the implementation of this important plan for us," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to him, Ukraine supports the ambitions of the European Union to move to climate-neutral development by 2050 within the European Green Course.
"This memorandum concerns cooperation in the field of hydrogen economy. Naftogaz sees great prospects for Ukraine in this area. In particular, this applies to the production of "green" hydrogen - hydrogen, which is produced from renewable energy sources, as well as storage and consumption of hydrogen," said Board Chairman of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuri Vitrenko at a briefing.
In addition, according to him, this document opens up prospects for the export of "green" hydrogen to the European market, in particular to Germany. Both the existing pipeline network and alternative means, in particular ammonia transport vessels, can be used for this purpose. The pilot project envisages delivery by ships in the form of "green" ammonia.
There are also opportunities for commercial sales of Ukrainian "green" hydrogen in European markets, with a focus on existing markets. In addition, the memorandum provides for opportunities for the development of renewable energy projects on the shelf and coast.
NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and German RWE have long been cooperating in the field of gas storage in Ukrainian gas storage facilities. NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine also periodically buys gas from this company. The working groups of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine and RWE will start joint work in the framework of the memorandum in September this year.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine stressed that cooperation in the hydrogen economy sector does not compensate for the losses of Ukraine from the possible launch of Nord Stream 2 in the short term. Instead, maintaining the transit of gas through the Ukrainian GTS after 2024 will allow our country to finance the "green transition", which will reduce the dependence of Ukraine's economy on natural gas.