10 years ago, Denmark and Ukraine entered a cooperation to make the Ukrainian energy system greener, more resilient and more decentralized. With the recent terrible attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, that cooperation is more important than ever.
Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard is in Ukraine to commemorate a decade of Danish-Ukrainian energy cooperation and to emphasize that Ukraine can depend on support from Denmark for years to come in the energy sector. This is also evident in the new 10-year security plan that was signed between Denmark and Ukraine on the 22. February.
The focus of the energy cooperation is to develop a more resilient energy system in Ukraine that can resist Russian attacks and cope with tough winters. On top of that, Denmark has secured several contributions to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund – latest a contribution of 40 million DKK today and 30 million DKK in November. The funds will go towards rebuilding Ukraine’s energy sector – a sector that has been hard hit by intensified Russian attacks in the past few weeks. .
“The Danish-Ukrainian energy cooperation has never been more important. We have recently seen Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. It is absolutely necessary that we secure Ukraine’s resistance both short term and long term – and that is what we are aiming for with our Danish-Ukrainian energy cooperation. Energy policy is a security policy, and we need to secure Europe’s independence in order to secure our freedom,” says Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard.
Alongside Norway and Poland, Denmark is co-chairing the part of President Zelenskyij’s Peace Formula that involves securing the supply of energy short term and long term. Here, Denmark is gathering international support to avoid energy being used as a weapon in war as Russia is currently doing.
Danish-Ukrainian energy cooperation
The energy cooperation between Denmark and Ukraine has changed since the war began. Today, it focuses on both the more acute need for energy supply as well as the long term goal of energy independence from Russian oil and gas. This aligns with Ukraine’s climate goals of a carbon reduction of 65 % in 2030 and climate neutrality in 2060.
In particular, energy efficiency is a priority for Ukraine and essential for the possibilities of Ukraine joining the EU. Denmark is already contributing on this agenda by preparing concrete recommendations for energy efficiency in the industry and helping ensure that Ukraine’s laws live up to EU-standards within energy efficiency.
In order to do that, Ukraine needs more experts on energy efficiency. To address this issue, Denmark and Ukraine are expanding on that cooperation with a talent programme. This means that
the Danish Energy Agency, the Technical University of Denmark and University College Copenhagen will be training Ukrainian students in energy efficiency already from the summer of 2024.
Moreover, a new cooperation on biogas is in the pipeline that can help strengthen both Ukrainian and European energy security. As a big agricultural country, Ukraine has great opportunities to produce and export biogas, and Denmark has the experience and know-how to support this development.
Facts about the energy cooperation
- The Danish-Ukrainian energy cooperation was established in 2014 and is run by the Danish Energy Agency in cooperation with the Danish embassy in Ukraine and the Ukrainian partners.
- The cooperation was quickly transformed into an emergency energy programme when the war began, but with the approval of a new working programme in 2023, it is back on track in regards to contributing to Ukraine’s long term green transition.