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From the perspective of the German economy, Ukraine’s new position on Germany and the EU is clear: it should supply raw materials and produce green energies. German companies are particularly interested in hydrogen production in Ukraine.
Accordingly, the talks between Ukraine, the EU and Germany focused on the role Ukraine should play in the desired “energy turnaround”. The Vice President of the EU Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, made it clear: “Ukraine is of strategic importance for the EU.”
Ukraine should become a supplier of green energies. Germany in particular shows a keen interest in this. According to the Handelsblatt, the official justification for this is the liberation of Ukraine from Russian energy dependency. In addition, Ukraine could help “bring the EU a good deal closer to its goal of climate neutrality”.
The focus is on hydrogen production. Since Ukraine has “considerable potential for solar energy” – especially in the south of the country – it is a favorable region for the production of hydrogen. The head of the German Energy Agency (Dena), Andreas Kuhlmann, argues: “We see great potential in Ukraine for building a green hydrogen economy.”
However, such a hydrogen economy must be launched with extensive investments. On the Ukrainian side, according to Deputy Energy Minister Yaroslav Demchenkov, more than 20 Ukrainian companies have already formed a hydrogen alliance – including, for example, the nuclear company NAK Energoatom, GTS, the operator of the Ukrainian gas transit network, and the electricity company Dtek.
The German side is currently exploring how the Ukrainian hydrogen economy project can most profitably be taken up. A Dena survey from June shows that a large number of German entrepreneurs are pursuing plans to invest in hydrogen production in Ukraine. Dena itself was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics to deepen its cooperation with Ukraine in the field of energy. The Dena boss sees his task in promoting “the global energy transition in one of the EU’s largest neighboring countries as well as international climate protection”.
The head of the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Kiev, Alexander Markus, emphasized the importance of establishing Ukraine as a green energy supplier for the EU: “If it succeeds, it will be the game changer in relations between the EU and Germany and Ukraine.”
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