By Swann Bigot, legal expert and consultant in international affairs, for Eurasia Network – March 19, 2017

photovoltaic panel - source pixabay

Photovoltaic panels – source : pixabay.

Representatives of Norway and Ukraine have discussed the possibility of building in Ukraine two solar power plants with a total capacity of 60 MW, informed in a press release the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry.[1]

On March 7, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Natalia Boyko held a meeting with the Senior Vice-President of Business development of the Norwegian company Scatec Solar, Terje Osmundsen, and the Ambassador of Norway to Ukraine, Ole Terje Horpestad.

Terje Osmundsen expressed the interest of his company in the construction of two solar power plants in Ukraine, whose total capacity would reach 60 MW.

The Norwegian delegation also presented the projects of solar power plants in Norway and their advantages.

Both parties have then discussed the general rules on the Ukrainian market for foreign independent power producers and the prospects of renewable energy sources after 2030.

Besides, the parties reviewed the protection of investors as well as the legal basis for renewable energy sources in Ukraine.

Nataliya Boyko expressed the Ukraine’s gratitude to the Norwegian side for its constant support to the reforms of the Ukrainian energy sector.

The Deputy Minister also stressed the Ukraine’s interest to consider and discuss the Norwegian proposal of construction of the two solar power plants reaching a capacity of 60 MW.

During the meeting the representative of the Ukrainian Department of electric power complex Viktoria Hnatovska stated that the development of renewable energy sources was a critical step in the reform of the Ukrainian electricity market.

She added that the draft of bill “On the market of electricity in Ukraine”, which would completely implement the 2011 third EU legislative energy package, is being prepared to be discussed in the Ukrainian Parliament.

Both parties have stressed their interest in the continuation of discussions and the Ukrainian side expressed its readiness to study more in details the proposals of the Norwegian company Scatec Solar.

Ukraine goes solar

The meeting was held while solar energy is continuously growing in Ukraine.

In December 2016, total capacity of solar power plants in the country amounted to 568 MW, of which 107 MW are from photovoltaic panels installed during 2016.[2]

It is expected that by the end of 2017 the country would reach 1 GW of total installed capacity of solar power plants.

The Ukrainian government has set the goal to increase renewable energy share in the country’s power mix to 11% by 2020.

Read also : Wind power plants totaling 140 MW to be built in Southern Ukraine

The Norwegian company Scatec Solar already operates solar power plants reaching a total capacity of 322 MW in several countries such as: Czech Republic, South Africa, Rwanda, Honduras and Jordan.

Thank you for reading us !

We got already 20,000 monthly visitors !

Subscribe now to get access to our last articles.

You can contact us for advice on your energy project in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus or Kazakhstan. 

© Copyright 2017 – Swann Bigot, legal expert and consultant in international affairs.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Sources :

[1] Україна та Норвегія розглядають можливості будівництва сонячних електростанцій в Україні : http://mpe.kmu.gov.ua/minugol/control/uk/publish/article;jsessionid=4FBDC9E8965F963A21B696E086668A68.app2?art_id=245189750&cat_id=35109 ;

[2] « В Украине общая мощность СЭС превысит 1000 МВт: в 2017 году в эксплуатацию введется 54 новые солнечные электростанции », Эко Техника, 06.02.2017 : http://ecotechnica.com.ua/energy/solntse/2038-v-ukraine-obshchaya-moshchnost-ses-prevysit-1000-mvt-v-2017-godu-v-ekspluatatsiyu-vvedetsya-54-novye-solnechnye-elektrostantsii.html ;