Slovakia will receive the first Ukrainian biomethane instead of Russian gas
10 February 08:49
The first pipeline supply of biomethane was made between Ukraine and the European Union. The volume of the first biogas supply to the EU amounted to 67 thousand cubic meters. This was reported by the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
According to the Energoreforma publication, the first batch of biomethane was exported by the Vitagro agricultural holding. According to the ExPro agency, the first pipeline export was made to Slovakia.
As previously reported, biomethane was pumped into underground gas storage facilities in 2024 – first by the Gals Agro agricultural holding, which has a plant in Chernihiv region, and since October – by the Vitagro agricultural holding with a plant in Khmelnytsky region (both with a capacity of 3 million cubic meters per year). In 2025, MHP’s Oril-Leader unit in Dnipropetrovs’k region (capacity of 11 million cubic meters per year) started pumping biomethane into UGS facilities. It also intends to produce liquefied natural gas for export.
As of the end of January 2025, biomethane producers have accumulated 1.5 million cubic meters of biomethane in storage.
As explained by the Ministry of Energy, Ukrainian producers can export biomethane to the EU countries through the Ukrainian gas transportation system by connecting biomethane plants to both the GTS and gas distribution networks. The conditions and tariffs for connection and transportation through the Ukrainian gas transmission system for biomethane producers are similar to those for natural gas producers.
The Ministry of Energy recalled that the Memorandum of Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and the EU in the fields of biomethane, hydrogen and other synthetic gases was signed in February 2023. In order to ensure the functioning of the biomethane market, the Procedure for Customs Clearance of Exports of Ukrainian Biomethane was approved in accordance with Order of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine No. 380 “On Amendments to Certain Regulatory Legal Acts of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine on Customs Affairs”. The relevant Procedure came into force in September 2024.
Why biomethane exports are important
Biomethane is produced from organic waste, which stimulates the development of agriculture. Ukraine has a huge potential for biomethane production and can be an important supplier of green energy to the European market.
Biomethane is a purified biogas with characteristics similar to natural gas. It can be used for heating, electricity generation, and as a fuel for transportation. Importantly, this biogas can be integrated into the gas infrastructure without additional costs for new networks, making biomethane available for widespread use.
This export opens up new opportunities for the agricultural sector and investors in the bioenergy sector.
What about the price of biomethane?
The average price of biomethane for export to Europe can be about EUR900/thousand cubic meters. This was announced by Georgii Geletukha, Chairman of the Board of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine.
“I can name the expectations. Natural gas in Europe costs about EUR500/thousand cubic meters. And the average price of biomethane, which we put in the feasibility study, is about EUR900 per thousand cubic meters, which is almost twice as expensive,” Georgii Geletukha said in a blitz interview with Energoreforma.
According to him, the price of the resource largely depends on the raw material and the sector to which it is sold.
Georgii Geletukha, Chairman of the Board of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, also added that the volume of biomethane pumped into the UGS facilities could soon reach 2 million cubic meters.
