Policies to stimulate the output and employment effects of bioenergy resources in Poland and Ukraine

Abstract

The paper aims to consider the available policies for biomass output as a feedstock for further bioenergy production in post-war Ukraine in order to draw conclusions and learn lessons for the further deployment of bioenergy in Ukraine, and to define the number of jobs that bioenergy has enabled and could contribute in both Poland and Ukraine in the future. Poland has significant biomass potential, the lion's share of which is agricultural crop waste, corn, and dedicated energy crops. Ukraine has a significant potential for the production and use of biogas and biomethane due to available feedstock and a developed gas supply system. The employment factor method was used to estimate the number of jobs in bioenergy in Poland and Ukraine. Assessments, which are the main result of the work, indicate that the number of jobs in agriculture for feedstock production for energy purposes may reach thirty-three thousand by 2030 in Poland and thirteen thousand in Ukraine. Agribiomass crop production for energy purposes in Poland is supported by the Common Agriculture Policy of the EU. Energy producers from biomass have priority access to the grid and qualify for feed-in tariffs, premiums and auctions, and special financial programs. In Ukraine, biomass energy producers may have a feed-in tariff for biomass and biogas and a 10% lower tariff for heat from biomass than the tariff for heat from natural gas. Despite the benefits of biomass, the installed capacities for its utilization remain insufficient due to the existing barriers in both countries.