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The steel industry's clean energy transition can enable new market creation and economic growth stimulation. Yet, the most efficient and feasible pathway to decouple the sector from fossil fuels remains unclear, particularly within developing nations and unstable socio-political contexts. Here, a blueprint for reconfiguring plant locations and reallocating resources is developed through a Ukrainian case study under two scenarios, which capture potential post-war conditions. Framed by regrowth of Ukraine's export-oriented steel industry and prospective European Union accession, green iron and steel trade strategies are devised. A steel supply chain optimisation model underpins the techno-economic, spatially granular analysis of energy and material flows, which utilises the inputs from a separate cost-minimised renewable energy, green hydrogen, and green ammonia production model. Results show that optimal supply chain configurations rely on mixed emissions-free energy profiles, the emergence of new steelmaking sites nearby high-quality renewables, regional alliances for green iron and steel market creation, and multi-billion-dollar investment. Mature nuclear and hydro power critically reduce costs in the near-term, whilst the rapid expansion of solar and wind energy infrastructure underpins production system scale-up. To simultaneously rebuild the 22 million-tonnes-a-year Ukrainian steel industry and transition to near-zero emissions by 2050, infrastructure investment surmounts to $62 billion, given full liberation of Ukrainian territory. Near-term investment is necessary to ease the pace of change, and although mobilising capital of this magnitude will be challenging, convincing carbon prices favour decarbonisation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy crisis caused by the Russia–Ukraine war (RUW) has affected the energy supply chain. The countries most impacted by the sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine focused on replacing the countries they import their energy from in the short term and switching fuel, for example, from natural gas to coal in Germany. The objective of this article is to verify how the war has impacted energy trade and electricity generation in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). The results indicate that the RUW had consequences on these countries' energy sector, significantly affecting fuel trade and electricity generation in the immediate aftermath of the war. • Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a global crisis in energy supply chains. • The Russia–Ukraine war led countries, such as Germany, to reactivate coal plants. • The UK replaced Russian fuel imports with those from other countries, like the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an assessment of the current wind energy potential in Ukraine, and discusses developmental prospects for wind-hydrogen power generation in the country. Hydrogen utilization is a highly promising option for Ukraine's energy system, environment, and business. In Ukraine, an optimal way towards clean zero-carbon energy production is through the development of the wind-hydrogen sector. In order to make it possible, the energy potential of industrial hydrogen production and use has to be studied thoroughly. Ukraine possesses huge resources for wind energy supply. At the beginning of 2020, the total installed capacity of Ukrainian wind farms was 1.17 GW. Wind power generation in Ukraine has significant advantages in comparison to the use of traditional sources such as thermal and nuclear energy. In this work, an assessment of the wind resource potential in Ukraine is made via the geographical approach suggested by the authors, and according to the «Methodical guidelines for the assessment of average annual power generation by a wind turbine based on the long-term wind speed observation data». The paper analyses the long-term dynamics of average annual wind speed at 40 Ukrainian weather stations that provide valid data. The parameter for the vertical wind profile model is calculated based on the data reanalysis for 10 m and 50 m altitudes. The capacity factor (CF) for modern wind turbine generators is determined. The CF spatial distribution for an average 3 MW wind turbine and the power generation potential for the wind power plants across the territory of Ukraine are mapped. Based on the wind energy potential assessment, the equivalent possible production of water electrolysis-derived green hydrogen is estimated. The potential average annual production of green hydrogen across the territory of Ukraine is mapped. It is concluded that Ukraine can potentially establish wind power plants with a total capacity of 688 GW on its territory. The average annual electricity production of this system is supposed to reach up to 2174 bln kWh. Thus, it can provide an average annual production of 483 billion Nm3 (43 million tons) of green hydrogen by electrolysis. The social efficiency of investments in wind-hydrogen electricity is presented. Image 1 • Assessment of wind potential and electrolysis of green hydrogen in Ukraine. • Ukraine has the potential to build 688 GW of WPP capacity on its territory. • Ukraine can provide 43 m tons of green hydrogen annual production by electrolysis. • Map of potential distribution of annual green hydrogen production in Ukraine. • Investments' social efficiency of in wind-hydrogen electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current European context, affected by the dramatic conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the related energy and food shortages, is putting a strain on the natural gas availability of the European member states. The latter are forced to new negotiations with other potential energy suppliers, to urgent internal measures to reduce energy demand and, at the same time, to fulfil their commitments to internationally agreed climate targets, where the energy transition is a key strategy. A sustainable energy transition strategy is also essential in circular economy implementation (CE), requiring the replacement of fossil energies with renewable ones. In turn, the energy transition should meet the CE principles to reduce the consumption of natural resources and the contribution to climate change. In this context, this study assesses the environmental impacts of the Italian and EU electricity mixes under different governmental and research scenarios and perspectives, by means of the Life Cycle Assessment approach (Midpoint and Endpoint LCA). Results show that the shift from the BAU electricity mix (year 2021) to the emergency Government plan scenario (2021–2023) replacing 14% of Russian natural gas by means of 42% oil and coal and 58% renewables slightly reduces the contribution to Midpoint LCA impact indicators, including global warming and fossil resource scarcity, while still contributing to particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, eco-toxicity and water consumption. The contribution to global warming further decreases in the other modelled scenarios, where natural gas is assumed to decrease from 30% to a high 60% in favour of renewables (Governmental plan 2030 scenario). Other impacts, in particular terrestrial and human toxicity, are instead expected to worsen, calling for much needed improvement of renewable technologies. Further, the Endpoint LCA impact indicators, expressed as DALY (human health damage), lost species potential (biodiversity damage) and increased costs for the extraction of mineral and fossil resources, improve in the Governmental Plan 2030 scenario and other modelled options. LCA shows to be a key method for the energy transition, in order to identify hotspots of modelled electricity scenarios and suggest more environmentally, circular and socially just improvement solutions. The adoption of the concept of CE in energy transition entails the expansion of the boundaries of an LCA to include the end-of-life of renewable technologies (so-called "cradle to cradle" approach) and the assessment of the most successful options to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]