Ukraine

The government has suggested PV plant operators accept a ‘voluntary’ 12.5% reduction in feed-in tariffs. If developers refuse, policymakers could impose 15-25% cuts, albeit with payment contracts extended five years. The drastic measures are being considered to reduce the cost of the state-owned Guaranteed Buyer body, which purchases all electricity generated in Ukraine from renewable energy facilities.

Around 240 MW of new installations were deployed from October 2018 to the end of September and approximately 70 MW were installed in the third quarter of last year alone, according to the responsible state body.

In 2018, newly deployed PV capacity in the eastern European country totaled 645 MW. Demand is mainly driven by large-scale projects under the FIT scheme, but residential solar under net metering is also providing a significant contribution.

The 246 MW Solar-Farm 1 is being developed by the nation’s largest energy holding and coal power producer, DTEK. The plant will be on the territory of a spent quarry.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is seeking consultants to support Ukrainian authorities in setting new renewable energy targets and to give advice on how to shape the procurement process for large-scale renewables projects.

The panel fab, with a production capacity of 200 MW, is in Vinnytsia, central Ukraine. The factory’s capacity is expected to double by the end of the year.

According to provisions approved in their first reading by the Ukrainian parliament, solar projects selected in future auctions will be awarded 20-year PPAs to encourage investors to steadily abandon the FIT scheme until it expires in 2030.

Around the half of this capacity was deployed from April to September, according to new official statistics released by the Ukrainian authorities.

The nation’s oil and gas provider is building its first small-sized PV projects at facilities operated by Ukrtransgaz, the Ukrainian gas transport system.

The Chinese module manufacturer will supply its panels for a huge solar project under development in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in southeastern Ukraine.