Germany Helps Ukraine Develop Biofuel Production

KYIV, Ukraine, December 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Germany intends to assist Ukraine in establishing its own biofuel production in 2013, reports minagro.gov.ua. The statement was made by the representative of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Jurgen Keinhorst, at the joint Ukraine-Germany council. Keinhorst said that pilot projects in the sector may involve German investment.

At the meeting Ukrainian scientists presented their draft projects for the pilot biofuel complexes, which would produce thermal power and biogas out of the agricultural waste using German technology and equipment. Currently, Ukraine has around 30 such projects on offer. Viktor Tymoshchuk, expert at the Department of engineering and agricultural machinery, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, stated this in an interview with WNU.

According to Tymoshchuk, Ukraine-German scientific exchange in the sector goes back decades, but has intensified in 2006. In 2013, the two European countries plan to take such cooperation to a new level by bringing to life biofuel projects. Moreover, Ukraine's plans for advancing its biofuel production include the establishment of a pilot bio-energy village.

Possessing a large agricultural sector that produces notable amounts of agricultural waste and manure, Ukraine has a significant potential for bioenergy production. At the moment, the Eastern European country produces entry-level 700,000 tons of solid biofuel per year, said Tymoshchuk. Comparably, an average German biofuel plant provides 800,000 tons of solid biofuel per year.

In October 2012, Ukraine launched its first pilot project for solid biofuel production. The plant producing wood pellets is located in Turbiv, the urban-type settlement in Vinnytsia region, central western Ukraine. The Eastern European country has set its eye on constructing a total of 10 such plants. Wood pellets will be produced from straw purchased from local farmers. Arguably, combustion efficiency of wood pellets exceeds 85 percent.

Presently, Ukraine boasts six functioning biogas units. Additionally, two poultry farms in western and southern Ukraine will start producing biogas by 2013. The volume of produced biogas is estimated to reach 30-35 million cubic meters. Furthermore, Ukrainian agroholding Avangard aims to sell biogas to the EU. To put the project to life, the Ukrainian company will cooperate with Polish state-owned company PGNIG-energy.