On the path to decarbonization, success is guaranteed by combining creativity with technological solutions

The progress of the European integration movement of Ukraine has significantly accelerated. The received status of a candidate for joining the European Union imposes obligations on Ukraine to force reforms in certain areas and speed up the adaptation of national legislation to European norms.

One of the mandatory directions of reforming the economy of Ukraine is its decarbonization, that is, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the main areas of activity (in the industrial sector, energy, transport, infrastructure and buildings, agriculture) with the aim of mitigating the consequences of climate change. One of the stages of decarbonization is the transformation of the domestic coal industry. The goal is ambitious, Ukraine is currently developing a program to phase out the use of coal for the period up to 2030, that is, in a fairly short period of time.

This directly affects coal-mining areas and communities, especially monofunctional ones. Their further development will require structural transformation using the reserves of the local economy: replacement of coal with alternative energy sources, retraining of workers and attraction of investments in new types of economic activity.

In the European Union, the process of phasing out coal in the energy sector and encouraging the structural transformation of the respective communities thanks to the balance of structural changes and social consequences has been called fair transformation. In most EU countries, this process has already been completed (Germany, Belgium, France). In some, in particular in Poland, it has only just begun and is planned in strategic documents (the National Climate Plan and strategic forecasts of the government) to be completed by 2049 according to the German scenario.

It is Germany that is most often mentioned as an example of effective economic transformation of old industrial coal-mining regions, where this process lasted for almost 60 years – since the 70s of the last century. Thanks to state subsidies and a planned approach to change, the process of economic transformation of old industrial regions has become socially responsible for coal workers and their families. Measures were taken to diversify the economy of mining communities, which were based on overcoming the problems of territories related to transformation and the development of educational and transport infrastructure. In the future, this became the thing that accelerated the emergence of new economic sectors in the former coal regions. Some of the mines and metallurgical plants received a new purpose after closure. The territories of industrial facilities were transformed into technological parks, museums and cultural centers. Some mines were later converted into renewable energy storage facilities.

The experience of the transformation of the Zollverein mine, located in the city of Essen, is illustrative. This object is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the period of active coal mining, the mine was one of the largest and most productive in the region. Due to depletion of coal seams in 1986, a decision was made to close it. However, the mine liquidation project provided for the preservation of ground structures. Such a decision was made not by chance, because at one time these buildings, built in the style of new constructivism, became an exemplary example of mine architecture, which was later followed by the builders of many other mining complexes in the Ruhr region. In addition, the uniqueness of the "Zolferain" mine lies in the cultural traditions of the workers, which have become a component of the regional identity. All this was recognized by UNESCO as important for future generations as evidence of the industrial culture of the past and is confirmed by the inclusion of this industrial object in the " European Route of Industrial Heritage " project. Currently, a leading international design center operates on the base of the mine, there are excursion sites and office premises. This has provided an opportunity to diversify the community's economy and create jobs in sectors related to the creative industries.

​ Nevertheless, industrial activity plays a key role in the economic revitalization of the coal regions of Germany after the cessation of coal mining. One of the directions was the introduction of scientific and industrial park structures. These institutes have proven their high efficiency in economic diversification, based on the transformation of one of the basic areas of industrial activity in the region using innovative technologies. The success of the Rhein Elbe Science Park in Gelsenkirchen is illustrative, where the material and human capital accumulated in the region in the field of energy was combined with high technologieі. This made it possible to develop solar generation, which became a new source of economic resources for communities in the region. However, the combination of industrial activity and innovative technologies requires high-quality human potential, the concentration of educational and scientific centers and infrastructure that would allow the transfer of technologies into production activities.

The use of conserved mines as batteries solves the issue of stabilizing the supply of renewable electricity and shows a creative combination of the infrastructural capabilities of the production capacities of mines with innovative technologies. In addition, such use of mines is an example of diversification of the economic activity of coal communities and regions within the framework of energy specialization. An interesting fact is the transformation of the last coal mine in Germany, Prosper Haniel, closed in December 2018, into the first hydraulic storage power plant, which redistributes energy during periods of peak loads on the network. The basis for such technological solutions is the use of height differences (the depth of "Prosper-Haniel" is 600 m) for pumping water flows through turbines from the upper horizons of the mine to the lower ones during peak hours, which makes it possible to generate electricity. The lifting of water to the upper horizons is carried out by electric pumps through the mine water drainage system during periods of excess energy capacity.

In general, the success of transformations of coal regions in Germany is determined by decisions made exclusively on the basis of social and political consensus, perceived in society as a continuation of the industrial past. In addition, opencast coal mining and its use for energy purposes in Germany is currently ongoing. At the beginning of the year, a program was adopted to completely abandon the use of lignite and hard coal in the production of electricity by the end of 2038. The consistency and planned phased phase of the process of abandoning coal in the energy sector in Germany is an example for others.

In order to encourage the transformation of the coal sector in non-EU regions, the European Commission in 2021 created the Initiative for Coal Regions with Economies in Transition in the Western Balkans and Ukraine as a platform for sharing experiences on moving away from coal in energy and overcoming possible obstacles to a fair transition. At the end of November 2023, another meeting of the participants of this Initiative took place in Brussels, where the current situation in the countries of the Western Balkans and Ukraine was discussed. The meeting was attended by a number of Ukrainian public organizations that take care of the implementation of the principles of fair transformation, in particular, NGO "Eсoaction", NGO "Space of Sustainable Development", as well as representatives of local self-government of coal communities.

Most of the countries participating in the platform are currently at the stage of planning processes, developing national plans for just transformation and implementing the tasks of just energy transition into strategic documents of economic development. The participants of the discussions consider the main problem of the slow energy transition to be insufficient awareness of the population of the coal regions regarding the efficiency of the processes, as a result, we get an unsatisfactory level of involvement of civil society representatives, including local self-government bodies, in the transformation.

Active search for public understanding and acceleration of the process of approval of fair transformation plans are the basic directions of ensuring the fair transformation of the coal regions of these countries. The representatives of the Ukrainian delegation emphasized the importance of involving community representatives in the formation of the Program for the Fair Transformation of Coal Regions at the mentioned meeting. Aware of the need to ensure the structuring and consistency of the process, they emphasized the importance of the EU's support to the coal regions of Ukraine on the way to their fair transformation, both through the provision of technical assistance and as a result of conducting consultations and organizing the exchange of practical experiences.

 The European experience of structural restructuring of the economy of coal regions clearly demonstrates both successful cases of combining creativity with technological solutions, as well as ways of accelerating a fair transformation with the opportunity to learn from other people's mistakes. Ukraine should rely on practical solutions taking into account local characteristics. And the participation of domestic experts in discussions of the results and problems of fair transformation on international platforms will help accelerate transformation on the way to European integration.

Read this article in Ukrainian and russian.