Ukraine plans to regulate the use of degraded land for bioenergy

Ukraine plans to introduce a legal framework for the concepts of “severely degraded land” and “energy crops” to support the development of bioenergy, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy.

“Ukraine has significant areas of degraded and low-productivity land that are currently not used in conventional agricultural production. At the same time, they could become a resource for bioenergy development without competing with food production. If we create the necessary legislative framework, we will be able to use these lands more efficiently and open up new export opportunities for Ukrainian producers. European rules provide additional incentives for this type of biofuel, so the sector has considerable economic potential,” Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi said.

According to him, feedstock for biofuel production can be grown on depleted, saline or eroded land that is unsuitable for conventional food crop production. Ukraine has an estimated up to 2.5 mln ha of such land.

Under the EU Renewable Energy Directives RED II and RED III, such biofuels are classified as environmentally sustainable and may receive a higher market premium, including additional financial support and higher prices on the EU market due to their environmental value and the absence of competition with the food supply chain.

Tags: Ukraine, land market, biofuel