Traditional energy industry produces energy from coal, natural gas, and nuclear stations.
This has led to crises like climate change, air and water pollution, food shortages, proliferation of nuclear weapons and radioactive contamination of vast areas. The time has come to prepare a modern and safe substitute to coal and nuclear stations – renewable energy sources (RES)!
RES are clean, abundant, and provide an energy independence to Ukraine, as they don’t require constant fuel purchases: uranium, natural gas, and coal. Renewable energy can provide enough heat and electricity for industry, households, transport and agriculture. It creates new jobs in equipment manufacturing and installation, solar systems maintenance, conducting energy audits of the buildings.
We urge Ukrainian authorities to support the development of a decentralised energy generation through forming coalitions with other organisations and developing common demands. We struggle to hold the nuclear industry accountable for the responsible radioactive waste management and the accumulation of sufficient resources to safely decommission old reactors.
Relevant Campaigns:

# Fast and democratic deployment of renewable energy

Ecoaction advocates for the fastest decrease in coal, oil and natural gas consumption and for the gradual shift from nuclear energy. This goal can be achieved by the energy efficiency improvements and shift to renewable energy. It is an urgent task for human kind in the context of climate change and environmental pollution issues and should not be underestimated.

Unlike nuclear and fossil fuel energy, renewable energy sources do not harm the environment and are inexhaustible. When used wisely and efficiently, they can power our civilisation for hundreds and thousands of years with no wars and conflicts for limited fossil fuel resources.

We are convinced that a shift to a 100% renewables is achievable and necessary for Ukraine in 30 years perspective as this ambitious goal backed by Ukrainian and international research. Solar and wind industries have already reached technological and economical level for a widespread adoption and meet the growing electricity demand, replacing old capacities of coal power stations. Combined with other renewable energy sources (geothermal, bio- and hydroenergy) and the technologies of energy storage and conversion, we can completely meet the energy needs of the society.

Ecoaction’s activities are aimed at fostering the development of decentralised renewable energy capacities, where citizens and companies themselves generate energy. We work to engage in the shift to renewables as many communities, companies and households as possible.

# Nuclear Energy campaign

Ecoaction fights against the construction of new nuclear power units and the continuation of the work of old nuclear power plants.
Old units of nuclear powerplants (NPP) are additional risks of accidents, radioactive waste and fuel dependence on Russia.
Ecoaction is strongly against the artificial reduction of the cost of “nuclear kilowatt” and believes that the electricity tariff for the NPP should include the total cost of decommissioning and disposal of radioactive waste.

We inform the society about the real threats of nuclear energy and the inevitability of its collapse. Until we understand the real cost of a nuclear power plant in comparison to renewable energy sources, we and the next generation are responsible for the waste of billions hryvnias alongside the associated radiation risks.

# Khmelnytsky NPP completion

The Government of Ukraine plans to resume the completion of two nuclear power units (No. 3 and 4) at the Khmelnitsky NPP. The goal of our campaign is to prevent this. Why?

It is dangerous: the completion is planned on the basis of the 1980s project on building structures, which is more than 30 years old. The safety of the use of these structures is not confirmed.

It is expensive: $ 2.86 billion is required for the completion. The cost of building a nuclear power plant in the world is steadily increasing due to the technological complexity and the strengthening of safety requirements. Estimates of the KhNPP project number 3 and 4 will also increase.

It weakens the energy independence of Ukraine: the construction of units are planned to be provided by the Czech company SKODA JS a.s., owned by the Russian holding company OMZ.

It is of paramount importance that the Ukrainian government stops spending its resources on a dangerous and unprofitable project of the completion of the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant.

Instead, a safe alternative to the old NPPs should be prepared that is renewable energy and increase of energy efficiency in all areas. Nowadays, such “nuclear” countries as Great Britain, Germany, China, Japan and the Netherlands produce more electricity from renewable sources than nuclear power plants .

Ecoaction works with officials and deputies to convince them to cancel their plans for the construction of nuclear power units. We collect facts and tell the citizens about the real price and risks of the construction of KhNPP №3 and №4.

# Just Transition of coal regions

Just Transition is a development model based on community-based policy created for a specific locality and designed to ensure fair earnings and decent living for all workers and communities, which will be affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy (elimination of production capacities, coal-mining enterprises, etc.). Taking into account the plans of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to eliminate unprofitable coal mines, the problems of employment, the problems of retraining of dismissed workers and the question of the future of miner’s cities will surely arise.

The current experience of mine eliminating in Ukraine shows that it was carried out without an adequate program of social re-conversion of the territory, which not only led to negative social-economic but also to vast environmental consequences.

Ecoaction advocates establishing a constructive dialogue between public authorities, local governments and the local population of the mining regions to address social-economic challenges. This includes issues of coal mining re-conversion, investment attraction to support new types of economic activities that will replace industrial fossil fuels, issues of employment and retraining of dismissed workers, etc.

Within the framework of the campaign, together with public organizations Germanwatch (Berlin/Bonn, Germany) and Luhansk Regional Human Rights Center “Alternative” (Donbass/Kyiv, Ukraine) the project “New Energy – New Opportunities for Sustainable Development of Donbass” is being implemented, which supports the stakeholders of the region in developing recommendations and measures for the sustainable energy transition to RES and energy efficiency.