The international company in the field of food and agrotechnologies, MHP, which conducted a test export of biomethane to the EU on February 11, has not yet made and cannot announce subsequent transactions because it needs to ensure sufficient resources for its own needs amid Russia's attacks on energy infrastructure. Additionally, it must analyze the impact of the change in U.S. leadership on the development of "green" technologies, stated Alexander Dombrovsky, president of MHP Eco Energy.
"There is the issue of energy security in Ukraine, where energy infrastructure is attacked and destroyed daily. This raises the question of whether to export or to secure domestic production. The latter is much more important (...). The key criterion for every company is primarily to ensure its own needs," he commented to "EnergoReform" during the "Solar Invest Forum Ukraine" organized by the Ukrainian Solar Energy Association on Thursday.
Dombrovsky emphasized that the export of the first batch of biomethane was just the beginning, a test shipment that would allow for studying the mechanism itself.
"We have a working schedule, our balance, everything (the export mechanism - ER) is functioning, going through, all certified, and we will see how it goes from here," noted Dombrovsky.
The head of MHP Eco Energy also pointed out that U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement and halted funding for many "green" projects, thereby steering the country towards fossil fuels. Therefore, according to him, there is currently an ideological debate regarding the philosophy of the "green" transition between the U.S. and the European Union.
"Based on this, we will now look at energy balances, including the balance for Ukraine. If we can secure ourselves and have the opportunity to export biomethane at a high price to the EU, then that is very profitable, and that is what we are counting on. But if the price is minimal, at the edge of the Ukrainian market, then we will use it here. There are simply many challenges for which there are currently no answers," Dombrovsky remarked.
As reported, the MHP biomethane plant "Oril-Leader" exported 27.4 thousand cubic meters of biomethane on February 11, becoming the second Ukrainian company to accomplish such an export.
MHP exported biomethane through pipelines across the Ukrainian-Polish border to Germany. The buyer was the company Vitol.
"Oril-Leader," located in the Dnipropetrovsk region, was recently connected to the grid. Its capacity is 11 million cubic meters per year.
The first batch of Ukrainian biomethane, totaling 67 thousand cubic meters, was exported on February 7 by the energy holding Vitagro, whose plant, with a capacity of 3 million cubic meters of biomethane per year, operates in the Khmelnytsky region. This export also took place to Germany.
In an interview with "EnergoReform," Oleg Ryabov, head of the renewable energy department at the agricultural holding "Hals Agro," predicted that by the end of February, this company might carry out its first transaction exporting biomethane. This is another one of the three biomethane producers connected to the grid, with its plant in the Chernihiv region having a capacity of 3 million cubic meters of biomethane per year.
As recently forecasted in an interview with "EnergoReform" by Georgiy Geletukha, chairman of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, soon 2 million cubic meters of biomethane may be injected into Ukraine's underground gas storage. He noted that its average export price is approximately EUR900 per thousand cubic meters (according to the project feasibility studies).