In 2022, low-carbon sources supplied about 71% of Ukraine’s electricity consumption, while fossil fuels accounted for about 28%. Nuclear power was the backbone of the clean electricity supply, providing more than half of all electricity, at around 55%. Hydropower contributed almost 10%, solar about 5%, and wind around 1%. On the fossil side, coal supplied roughly 21% and gas about 7%. Ukraine therefore already had a predominantly low-carbon electricity mix, but replacing its remaining fossil electricity would help reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Ukraine?

The supplied data do not establish whether Ukraine’s total electricity consumption or generation was growing, because they contain no year-to-year totals. They do, however, show a worrying reversal in nuclear electricity generation: after increasing by 10 TWh in 2021, it fell by about 24 TWh in 2022. That substantial loss from Ukraine’s largest clean electricity source represents a serious setback. Restoring and expanding low-carbon electricity generation would help support recovery and meet future demand from electrification and growing digital infrastructure.

Suggestions

Ukraine should build on its strong nuclear foundation by expanding existing nuclear capacity, alongside a substantial increase in solar and wind generation. Nearby Slovakia, where nuclear supplies about 66% of electricity, and France, at 67%, offer useful examples of maintaining a large nuclear contribution. For solar, Ukraine can learn from Hungary, where it supplies about 24% of electricity, and Bulgaria, at 20%. Lithuania’s wind share of 43% and Poland’s 14% also demonstrate the potential for wind in relevant European regions. Combining these technologies with stronger grids, storage and investment frameworks could increase clean electricity supply while reducing reliance on coal and gas.

History

Ukraine’s low-carbon electricity history shows major nuclear gains interrupted by repeated, deeply disappointing declines. In the late 1980s, nuclear generation fell by about 11 TWh in 1986, then rebounded by a combined 29 TWh in 1987–1988, before another decline in 1989 and a nearly 10 TWh gain in 1990. The 1990s brought a roughly 6 TWh nuclear decline in 1994, a 9 TWh recovery in 1996 and a 6 TWh hydropower increase in 1998. Nuclear output grew by about 5–6 TWh in both 2000 and 2004, then fell by nearly 7 TWh in 2009 before recovering in 2010. During the 2010s, nuclear declines in 2013 and 2016 alternated with gains in 2014 and 2017; hydropower also fell by about 5 TWh in 2014. A further nuclear decline of nearly 7 TWh in 2020 preceded the 2021 rebound and the exceptionally severe 2022 loss. These repeated losses of clean electricity are a serious concern and underline the importance of restoring output and securing sustained low-carbon growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade