Ukraine’s biogas potential: a comprehensive assessment of energy yields and of feedstock availability

The manuscript is devoted to determining the biogas potential of Ukraine by assessing the energy yields of agricultural substrates and their availability. A systematic analysis was used to study the energy capacity of biomass and analyze the strategies for biogas sector development. The potential of the agricultural biogas production in Ukraine (from livestock and crop residues) and their availability were evaluated. Agricultural biogas potential of Ukraine was estimated at 15438.75 million m3 of biogas per year (approx. 8.8 billion m3/year of biomethane), potentially replacing one-third of the country’s natural gas consumption. The majority of the potential comes from crop residues (mainly corn and sunflower straw) contributing over 80% of the total biogas potential. There are some regional variations (with central and eastern regions showing the highest capacity) but biogas solutions could be implemented across all Ukraine. Biogas plants could generate 4.37 GW of electricity, significantly contributing to overcoming Ukraine’s energy crisis. Ukraine’s existing gas infrastructure and EU-aligned policy goals support rapid biogas scaling. Biogas could meet up to one-third of national gas demand, while biomethane offers strong export potential and long-term energy resilience for Ukraine and the EU.