Brussels, 17th of April, 2024. The kick off of Task Force 6, held today at DG ENER, marked the beginning of the collaborative efforts to integrate Ukraine as a supplier of sustainable biomethane into the EU. Representatives from 27 companies gathered to initiate technical discussions and outline an agenda for 2024 to collaborate on advancing biomethane production in Ukraine.
Hosted by the Biomethane Industrial Partnership at the premises of DG ENER, the kickoff meeting of Task Force 6 marked the initiation of the task force’s technical activities. The event brought together representatives from 27 companies that are committed to collaborating on various topics pertaining to developing biomethane production in Ukraine. The meeting focused on member introductions and outlining the agenda for 2024.
The agenda of Task Force 6 for 2024 includes three primary objectives: facilitating cross-border trading and export, enhancing domestic production, and stimulating domestic demand.
Task Force 6 will analyse the regulatory and technical measures to address any impediment to cross-border trading and export to the EU, ensuring traceability and full disclosure of sources based on EU recognised voluntary schemes.
In support of production, Task Force 6 will assess the regulatory barriers for deploying anaerobic digestion biomethane, gasification and synthetic methane in Ukraine, aiming to identify administrative, technical, and regulatory barriers, while also analysing opportunities to streamline procedures and build capacity at various levels.
Lastly, Task Force 6 will focus on fostering demand-side actions and promoting the national use of biomethane within Ukraine. This will involve mapping out production developments, identifying localised needs, forecasting demand, and establishing domestic targets and support measures, drawing upon EU best practices.
The foundation of Task Force 6 is to be traced back to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership for Renewable Gases, including biomethane, hydrogen, and other synthetic gases. As a response to the urgent need to phase out the dependency on energy imports from Russia, in line with the REPowerEU Plan of the European Commission, the Partenrship aims to enhance EU-Ukraine energy cooperation between the European Union and Ukraine.
As Task Force 6 embarks on its journey, collaboration among its members will be crucial in realising the shared vision of a sustainable and energy-independent future for both Ukraine and the EU.