Germany is considering the possibility of importing biogas from Ukraine to strengthen its own energy security and diversify its energy sources. German Minister of Economy Katja Eichinger emphasized that the country is interested in increasing its own gas production while also assessing the potential of Ukrainian biogas for the German market.
This is reported by Finway
Plans for Gas Infrastructure Development
According to Eichinger, Germany is already taking steps to boost gas production on its own territory. In particular, the country recently opened up opportunities for the Netherlands to explore gas fields in the North Sea. The minister noted that similar actions should be taken from the German side, despite environmental concerns:
“We need to discuss this, especially in times of resource shortages, particularly in such challenging geopolitical times. It is necessary to find a very careful balance between environmental interests and resource security – both of these issues are legitimate.”
Eichinger stressed that shifting the responsibility for unpopular projects onto neighboring countries cannot be a long-term strategy. The main task is to ensure favorable conditions for gas production in Germany while maintaining a balance between environmental standards and energy security.
Import of Biomethane and Legislative Changes
The German government, which includes Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, plans to expand the use of gas for heating, particularly biogas. The coalition parties have reached an agreement on reforming the heating law: the requirement to use at least 65% renewable energy for heating will be abolished. Instead, heating systems are to gradually transition to biomethane and synthetic fuels.
Katja Eichinger proposed importing green gas specifically from Ukraine, as the country, according to her, offers significant volumes of biomethane. At the same time, she noted that to initiate such supplies, a number of regulatory barriers from both Ukraine and the EU need to be overcome. Once these issues are resolved, an increase in biogas imports to the German market is expected.
As of today, biomethane is already being produced in Germany, sold on the domestic market, and available to consumers. Where there is demand, a corresponding market for such energy carriers is being formed.
In addition to biogas, Germany has its own natural gas reserves in the North Sea. However, the extraction of shale gas through fracking, which involves the use of chemicals and high pressure, has been banned since 2017 due to environmental risks, particularly to groundwater.