Web exclusive posted August 22, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. CST

The Washington Group, in conjunction with the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, and the Ukrainian American Environmental Association, is hosting a panel of speakers who will discuss options for Ukraine to become energy independent, including energy efficiency, renewable energy utilizing biomass and biofuel applications, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. The event will be held Sept. 15 at the John Hopkins University Rome Building in Washington, D.C., from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

"In summary, the Ukraine presently gets a little under one half of one percent of its energy from biomass resources and biofuels," said Kenneth Bossong, co-director of the Ukrainian-American Environmental Association: Renewable Energy. Bossong will serve as a panelist at the discussion, which will explore sustainable energy options for Ukraine and raise public awareness on energy issues facing the country today.

Bossong said many studies have been performed in the country by international associations, the Ukraine government and non-government associations, all of which have come up with generally the same analysis. "The Ukraine's biomass potential is at least ten times its current level – arguably, even up to 20 times," he said. In other terms, Bossong said, the Ukraine could be getting ten percent of its energy from biomass and biofuel applications. "This is because of its large agricultural sector, which could provide the raw materials needed," he pointed out.

According to Bossong, in just a short time, the Ukraine's biomass and biofuel programs have come a long way. "They started virtually from nothing three or four years ago," he said. "But now the government is committed to making its focus renewables, and there are now a number of biofuel facilities and stations that sell biofuels around the country."

Bossong concluded that he believes biofuels will continue to expand in the country. "It is still very small," he said. "But it's taking off." He added that the main feedstock source in the Ukraine will be rapeseed, opposed to corn that has been traditionally used in other countries, such as the United States.

The Sept. 15 discussion will also be available by webcast. For more information and to register, visit thewashingtongroup.org/Events/2008/energy091508.php.

The Ukrainian-American Environmental Association (UAEA) is a private, non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 2004 and chartered in both the United States and Ukraine. It is a network of 900+ Ukrainian and American NGOs, academic researchers, businesses, government officials, and individual citizens founded to facilitate the exchange of information on a broad array of environmental issues including, but not limited to, energy policy, climate change, air and water pollution, toxic wastes, soil conservation, sustainable agriculture, and wildlife and wilderness protection.