Fuel wood usage in a focus of bioenergy policy of Ukraine

Wood as form of biomass is one of the main types of alternative energy in Ukraine. At the same time, wood biomass is one of the cheapest energy resources. It has been proved that its volume potential can be sufficient to meet the energy needs of the population. It is found that a significant amount of wood biomass in Ukraine, which can be used for energy purposes, is not yet used, particularly wood residuals in forest stands. The use of wood and wood residuals as fuel is an environmentally and cost-effective solution. However to meet sustainability goals some social and environmental limitations should be taken into account. The urgency of implementing a bioenergy policy for governing the process of wood residuals and biomass use for energy purpose is obvious, since there are no clear legislative norms and regulations to stimulate the bioenergy sector development in Ukraine, except for the “Energy Strategy of Ukraine until 2035”. Fuel wood is one of the main types of bioenergy in Ukraine. It is found that sustainable utilization of wood residuals potential would contribute to the circular economy and at the same time can make a significant contribution to solving energy dependency from suppliers outside Ukraine. The process of obtaining wood energy and using wood biomass for energy purposes is not governed by clear and transparent bioenergy policy and set of instruments in Ukraine. Ukraine's energy strategy for the period until 2035 envisages the transition to renewable energy sources, considers wood biomass as one of the options for obtaining fuel energy, but does not describe actions and regulation measures in bioenergy. The legislation is also seen as imperfect as it does not actually treat this wood biomass as an alternative (renewable) energy. Creating a legislative framework based on the use of foreign experience and the assessment of the potential of wood biomass in Ukraine, which can be used for energy purposes, is the main task of Ukraine's bioenergy policy. Bioenergy policies should be aimed to achieving the sustainable development goals through the use of appropriate strategies and instruments and systematically assessed through a system of indicators. The main problem with the use of fuel wood is the lack of a legal framework governing its production and use. In this regard, it is appropriate to draw on the experience of other countries in the use of wood biomass for energy purposes. It is found that the main source of fuel wood is sawmill and furniture waste. It has been proven that biomass in Ukraine is sufficient to replace all gas and coal imports. The term "bioenergy" has been found not to refer to deforestation. It is about the use of wood waste and illiquid residues. In Sweden, 60% of heat is produced from biomass, however, in Ukraine only 9%. Taking into account the social and environmental constraints in determining the amount of biomass that can be removed from the forest, providing an ecological and economic justification for the entire process of harvesting, sorting and processing of biomass is an important component of achieving the concept of sustainable development of the forest sector. The main problem with the use of fuel wood is the lack of a legal framework governing its production and use. In this regard, it is appropriate to take into account the experience of other countries in the use of wood biomass for energy purposes. Therefore the most important task is to develop regional strategies and a set of bioenergy policy instruments.