The technical potential for methane recovery in Ukraine is 2.15–3.08 billion cubic meters per year, which is equivalent to 10–15% of the country’s total natural gas consumption, according to the study “Methane Emissions in Ukraine’s Energy Sector: Underestimated Challenges and Opportunities” by the Green Deal Ukraine (GDU) project, established by Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).
The study’s authors are GDU energy and climate specialist Alexander Zichener, GDU energy and climate expert Janez Kopac, and GDU energy expert Oleg Savitsky.
As they noted, at average European gas prices (~EUR360/1,000 cubic meters), this volume is worth EUR750–1,100 million annually, while the investments required to realize this potential total between EUR2.4 and EUR3.6 billion over 10 years, or EUR240–360 million per year.
“If we compare the figures, the economic benefit is clear: investing EUR240–360 million annually in emissions reduction will yield EUR750–1,100 million from the ‘captured’ gas,” the study’s authors emphasized.
They note that the issue of methane recovery is taking on particular importance ahead of Ukraine’s accession to the EU and in the context of post-war reconstruction: harmonizing national legislation with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 on methane emissions in the energy sector is mandatory for a candidate country and a member of the Energy Community. At the same time, reducing methane emissions is one of the fastest and most cost-effective climate measures available to Ukraine during the 2026–2045 period, since over a 20-year period (GWP20), methane is more than 80 times more potent than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas, and by a conservative estimate over a 100-year period (GWP100), it is 30 times more potent.
The study indicates that methane accounts for approximately 27% of Ukraine’s total greenhouse gas emissions (63 million tons of CO₂-eq. in 2023 based on GWP100), and over half of the country’s short-term climate impact based on GWP20. Nearly 71% of national methane emissions come from the energy sector.
For more details on the study and a link to it, see the column for the “Interfax-Ukraine” agency’s energy project “Energoreforma.”
