The Ukrainian government has prepared two mines - in Donetsk and Lviv regions, which will be "transformed" within the framework of the "European Green Deal" strategy chosen by the country. This was announced by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmyhal during a videoconference with representatives of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy of Germany.
“We have prepared two mines - in Donetsk and Lviv regions, which we proposed to accept for the implementation of joint pilot projects. They must demonstrate the results of transformation so that we can extend them to other coal regions, ”the head of government said.
Denis Shmygal told the German counterpart that today there are 61 coal regions in Ukraine, which are mono-cities that are tied to a single enterprise, coal mine or power plant.
“All these regions have the old infrastructure of the 60-80s of the last century. Depletion, mine closures and the gradual strategic closure of the coal industry as a whole will create social tensions in the future. It is necessary to take a number of strategic steps to socially provide people in these regions, "he stressed.
The Prime Minister noted that in this context, the experience and support of Germany and the European Union is extremely important for Ukraine. In this regard, Denis Shmygal welcomed the creation of the Partnership Secretariat and emphasized that the Government of Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the Project Office for the Transformation of Coal Regions with the support of GIZ for the development and implementation of pilot projects.
"We are ready for the challenges that Ukraine faces in the context of a green transition, decarbonization of the economy and the need to reform the coal sector and transform coal mining regions," Denis Shmygal emphasized.
