They want to transfer the property of liquidated mines to communities free of charge: the Ministry of Energy is preparing a draft law

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has prepared a bill that will allow the free transfer of land property of coal and uranium mines that are in the process of liquidation from state to municipal ownership. The former industrial territories are planned to be used to create new production sites and attract investors.

The bill is planned to be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal reported that the document is planned to be submitted to the government for consideration within a week. After that, the bill should be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

Local governments will be able to initiate new use of territories. Communities will be able to create industrial sites and attract business on the basis of former mines.

The Ministry of Energy expects that the reuse of existing mining infrastructure will also reduce budget expenditures associated with the liquidation of such facilities.

The first pilot project is already being prepared

In parallel, the Ministry of Energy, together with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), is working on a long-term development plan for one of the mines that is in the process of liquidation.

As part of the pilot project, specialists are to assess the investment potential of the territory and determine the approximate cost of the work necessary for its further use.

It is expected that the developed plan will become a kind of roadmap for attracting donors and investors. In the future, they want to transform the territories of closed mines into new economic and industrial centers.

At the moment, it is a matter of a legislative initiative: the document has yet to be considered by the government and the Verkhovna Rada.