«Green» tarrif: who is for it and who is against?

On 15 February 2018, State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine jointly with Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs held the round-table discussion “Using solid domestic waste as a source of energy for production of thermal and electric power in Ukraine”.

Although the round-table was declared to be open and accessible for all, the organizers refused to register for participation representatives of Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR) and International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law” on the eve of the event. However, we easily managed to enter the premises and organizers gave us the floor to present the position of the public regarding “green” tariff for energy recovery from domestic waste incineration.

Organizers of the round-table emphasized the problem of landfilling 93% of waste in Ukraine, the importance of considering economic indices and economizing gas through use of energy recovered from domestic waste. It is clear that organizers support waste incineration and gathered in order to once again declare their support for the draft law on stimulating the use of domestic waste as an alternative source of energy.

A representative of the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine announced the official position of the Ministry regarding waste incineration. He emphasized that the Ministry of Environment supports European approaches to waste management as stipulated by the National Strategy of Waste Management, in particular waste prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling, methane burning resulting from anaerobic digestion of organic waste. RPR and EPL fully support the Ministry and its pro-European position.

People’s deputies do repetitive attempts to vote for the draft law #4835-Д “On Amending some laws of Ukraine regarding stimulation of use of domestic waste as alternative source of energy”. The law envisages allocation of state subsidy (“green” tariff) to enterprises producing energy from domestic waste. At the round table, EPL and RPR emphasized that as of today Ukraine has not implemented requirements of EU Directive 2010/75/EC on industrial emissions. According to this directive, the state is obliged to perform on a quarterly basis the control of incineration facilities, emissions of dioxins, furans, heavy metals. At present, such control is not performed in Ukraine by any controlling body. Although Ukraine signed the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the requirements of European legislation in the area of environmental control and waste management have not been implemented.

At the end of 2017, Sector Manager for Energy, Environment, Green Economy, Civil Protection of the European Union Delegation to Ukraine Jean-François Moret spoke against “green” tariff for energy recovery from waste incineration.¹. European Environmental Bureau (EEB) that unites 140 experts from 30 European countries jointly with Zero Waste Europe addressed the Chair of the Parliament of Ukraine, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine with the request to prevent adoption of «green” tariff for energy recovery from waste incineration because such measures will not foster Ukraine’s implementation of its obligations within Annex XXX to the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and will pose threats for the environment and human health². You can read more about the official position of RPR and EPL here³.

EPL representative proposed to promote technologies for use of methane from waste water treatment facilities sediment and landfills for energy production. Such projects can be implemented in Ukraine with the help of state-private partnership.

We hope that ideas expressed at the round-table will give impetus for pro-European changes in the country, implementation of European standards as envisaged by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, installation of filters at enterprises that pollute the environment, increase of fines for pollution, establishment of monitoring and control over the emissions into the air. In its turn, business that is awaiting “green” tariff for energy production from waste incineration should realize that no money is sufficient to buy good health.

For further information, please contact:

Alla Voitsikhovska, EPL environmental scientist of the 1^st category

(0322) 257682

alla.voytsyhovska@gmail.com