Building of Ministry of Energy spoke in words of environmental activists
"Ukraine, give up coal by 2035," the building of the Ministry of Energy stated today. However, it's not the politicians' statement yet, but the projection by representatives of the Ecodia public organization. Thus, the public wants to emphasize that giving up coal has long been a burning issue both for the entire world and Ukraine.
The country's transition to renewable energy will reduce dependence on depleted resources, improve the environment, de-monopolize the industry and create tens of thousands of new jobs.
"Coal combustion in the energy sector is one of the biggest causes of air pollution in Ukraine and greenhouse gas emissions, causing a climate crisis. Setting a clear date for abandoning this resource will help the country better plan further steps to move to cleaner renewable energy sources, as well as to fairly transform regions that may suffer from coal abandonment," said Konstantin Krynytskyi, head of energy at Ecodia.
At the international climate conference COP26, the Ukrainian delegation joined the international anti-coal coalition Powering Past Coal Alliance and promised to abandon coal at state power plants by 2035.
However, after its completion, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna denied this information. According to her, the Cabinet of Ministers hasn't officially approved the date and the Ministry of Energy should "negotiate with the Alliance to adjust this figure," as it "doesn't reflect the official position of [the government]."
The Ministry of Energy is currently working on a new Energy Strategy until 2050. It is this document that will determine the fate of the sector in the coming years and, according to the public, it should set a date for the abandonment of coal at the official level.
