OREANDA-NEWS. February 05, 2009. General potential of Ukrainian renewable energy sources amounts 79 mn tons of standard coal, which is equivalent to 70 bn cubic metres of natural gas.

However, the share of renewable sources in energy balance amounts only 0.8%, as Head of National Agency for Energy Resources (NAER) Ihor Cherkashyn announced during a briefing with media.

 “On the one hand we have a great potential of renewable energy sources, on the other – absolutely not practical attitude to this, so that we continue to work on imported natural gas,” the Head of NAER stressed.

The reason for such attitude is immaturity of public conscience concerning energy effectiveness and energy-saving. “The society is spoilt with gas,” Ihor Cherkashyn explained. As a result, the level of introduction of energy effective technologies and projects is rather low.

Though this year the situation has to change for the best, Ihor Cherkashyn assures. From one side, the stimulus for that is close prospect of transition to market prices, from the other – absolute necessity to strengthen energy independence.

The head of NAER stressed, just because of that the NAER accentuates attention on activity in educating, training and retraining of heads and specialists of enterprises, organizations in the issues of energy effectiveness, energy-saving, energy audit and management, use of renewable and alternative energy sources. With this aim last year Teaching and Expert Centre of NAER was set up, which has successfully held training in several regions.

Ihor Cherkashyn informed media representatives, on the part of the Cabinet of Ministers some steps has been made in order to raise people’s awareness in energy effectiveness issues. So, to increase the level of knowledge of leaders of higher administrative rank Prime Minister of Ukraine initiated holding general educational selector meetings in the framework of CMU sittings, dedicated to renewable and alternative energy sources.