Ukraine intends to increase biomethane production in the coming years. Biomethane is purified biogas that resembles natural gas in properties and can be fed into the gas grid. The Ukrainian Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture expects production to reach approximately 150 million cubic meters by the end of 2026. According to the ministry, demand from the European Union is the main driver in this regard.
In early 2025, Ukraine supplied biomethane to a European customer via the gas grid for the first time. According to Ukrainian industry reports, this amounted to over 11 million cubic meters over the whole of 2025, supplied by a few producers.
Residual flows and existing gas network
Ukraine possesses large quantities of agricultural residues, manure, and straw that can serve as raw materials for biomethane. In addition, the country has an extensive natural gas network, which enables the injection of the gas and its transport to customers abroad.
Program with goals until 2035
The Ukrainian government adopted a national biomethane program in April 2026 that runs until 2035. It provides for new production facilities, modernization of existing biogas plants, and connection to European systems for guarantees of origin, which establish the origin of green gas. Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal set a target of 1 billion cubic meters per year in 2030, rising to 2,1 billion cubic meters in 2035. Existing production capacity stood at approximately 111 million cubic meters per year at the end of 2025.
Within REPowerEU, the European plan to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and imported energy, the European Commission aims for a biomethane production of 35 billion cubic meters per year by 2030. According to an analysis by the Ukrainian bioenergy association UABIO, Ukraine could supply up to about one-fifth of that target.
Estimates regarding the ultimate potential vary. The Ukrainian Bioenergy Association estimates a range from a few to well over twenty billion cubic meters per year; the Minister of Agriculture previously mentioned 22 billion cubic meters, given the size of the agricultural sector. By 2026, Ukraine aims to gain access to the European database for renewable fuels and make agreements with the EU regarding the mutual recognition of guarantees of origin.
Source reference:
Image: AI-generated for illustration
