CONNECTING EUROPE WITH GREEN GASES
ABOUT UAG Energy GmbH
WHY WE DEVELOP A
BIOMETHANE HUB
SOUTHEAST EUROPE
We are a Leipzig-based holding, developing a consortium for Biomethane production and trading projects in Southeast Europe. With our partners we aim to provide 1 billion cubic meters of biomethane annually to European markets by 2030. We believe in the potential of countries like Ukraine, Moldova, Rumania, Bulgaria – the countries, which constitute our Southesast European biomethane hub.
UAG Energy GmbH has been founded by Ukrainian entrepreneurs and Birkap GmbH, a German project development and financial advisory company. Like our founders’ projects, which are mostly related to a green hydrogen value chain and zero-emission solutions for industry and transport sector, UAG is seeking to contribute to Europe’s 2050 zero-emission goals. At the same time, our projects increases independence from non-reliable energy suppliers and the stability of the EU energy system.
BIOMETHANE – THE GREEN GAS
What is biomethane and
why do we believe in this market?
Europe wants to break free from dependence on fossil natural gas. Biomethane is natural gas, but from renewable rather than fossil sources. It is based on biogas, the natural result of the slow fermentation of organic waste such as liquid manure or organic waste. The only difference is that the gas is captured as a fermentation product and processed – to produce biomethane of natural gas quality.
Gas should become “green”. The EU is demanding that biomethane production be expanded to 370 TWh by 2030. In order to cover a tenth of the annual gas demand in Germany alone with biomethane, feed-in would have to be increased eightfold to almost 80 TWh. We are therefore relying on imports from southeastern Europe, where raw materials for fermentation are available cheaply and gas exports promise our partners urgently needed sales. This supplements the quantities available in core Europe.
WHY OUR BUSINESS MODEL WILL WORK
- Biomethane imports from Southeast Europa are cost-effective due to the low production costs and larger land-plots.
- Natural gas from renewable sources is equipped with less supply-risks than any qm³ of imported fossil gas, since the latter market is subject to manipulations and political turmoil.
- Market demand will be sufficient for all players – no biogas or biomethane plant will have to be shut down because of increased imports from third countries
- Our focus region our partly troubled societies such as Ukraine and Moldova. They deserve being integrated closer in the EU economic system with their most competitive products.
- The gas transmission network is available for transporting biomethane volumes throughout Europe. As soon as customs issues are resolved, the pipelines will be available for cheap delivery of large biomethane volumes.
Hydrogen – THE ENERGY OF TOMORROW
What is hydrogen and why do we believe in its potential?
Europe is on the way to an emission-free future. Southeast European countries are following this path. We design of all our projects as “hydrogen-ready”. This means that in all biomethane sourcing projects we examine the local production of hydrogen and propose concrete solutions. This can include the capture and processing of CO² from biogas, the pyrolysis of biogas to hydrogen, using liquid CO² in the context of the hydrogen economy, the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The development of a hydrogen economy in Europe is still in its early stages. But we are convinced that it will be successfully ramped up and see Southeast Europe as an important sourcing market. That is why we are working with our technology partners on commercially viable post-use concepts for CH4-based projects.
OUR APPROACH
HOW WE WORK
We see ourselves as an aggregator of biomethane quantities from southeastern European countries. We are already supplying some of these quantities to end customers in Central Europe – also in the form of bio-LNG in containers. Please feel free to contact us about this.
Above all, however, we co-invest in biomethane producing plants (“Greenfield”) in the region, as well as in the expansion of existing biogas plants (“Brownfield”). These often lack the equipment to process them to match the quality of natural gas. With our mainly German technology partners and in coordination with the requirements of our end customers, we ensure that the processing and the feedstock composition are in line with all regulations, standards and customer requirements.
Upon requests of top-tier European gas importers, we found UAG:Energy to qualify farmers and other SOE suppliers as major biomethane producers.
By working with local entrepreneurs in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria we provide the region with an export vector for valuable goods, creating jobs, growth and stability in unstable times.
We stabilize the entire region by creating concrete and economically viable business cases at the intersection between Southeast and Central Europe.
OUR VALUES
WE CONTRIBUTE TO A ZERO-EMISSION
ENERGY SYSTEM IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Our vision
We trust in a powerful EU, of which Ukraine and Moldova will be a member and well-integrated trade partner. With its vast agricultural cropland, its modern circular economy approach, and an unequivocal commitment to a just transition towards a zero-emission economy. With our partners in Southeast Europe, we showcase the sector-coupling potential for biogases, hydrogen, and CCU in our projects.
Our MISSION
We enable Southeast European entrepreneurs and local communities to create added value to their business models by co-developing biomethane production facilities for exports. This will increase their revenues in difficult times, while Ukraine and other Southeast European countries as well as the EU itself will step-by-step get closer to their zero-emission goals by replacing fossil fuels with green gases.
Our VALUES
As European investors, rooted in a system of trust and lawfulness, we follow the highest ESG standards in line with our Code of Conduct. Furthermore, we transfer our standards in projects in third countries wherever we can. We believe that these standards are the basis for long-term success and sustainable commercial viability. In the countries we work, we support all means of anti-corruption policy.
Our Team
OUR EXPERTS ARE PROFESSIONALS WITH LARGE
EXPERIENCE IN THE EUROPEAN ENERGY SYSTEM
Florian Willershausen
Prof. Dr. Volodymyr Kupchak
Prof. Dr. Volodymyr Kupchak used to build the first biogas plants in Ukraine back in 2012-2014. Since then, he held positions as the CEO of one of the largest Ukrainian gas distribution network providers and spent some years in the Verkhovna Rada as a deputy. Currently, he is teaching energy management at Kyiv University and consults UAG:Energy with his vast practical experience on implementing green energy related projects in Ukraine.
Oksana Tyupa
Oksana Tyupa is our company’s representative to Ukraine, based in Kyiv. On a daily basis she is working with our local partners, who provide the feedstock and act as co-investors in the biomethane producing plants. Oksana finished Kyiv State Linguistic University with a Mater in English, graduated in Business Administration at the International Institute of Management. Fluent in English and advanced in German language. Large project management experience.
OUR PARTNERS
In our projects we work with large feedstock providers to implement our partners European technologies
