Ukraine’s energy system can only be protected through decentralization – Kuleba

Over the past year and a half, more than 500 MW of cogeneration units of various capacities have been installed in territorial communities, and during 2026 the installation of at least one gigawatt of cogeneration capacity is expected.

This was reported by Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Kuleba in a comment to Ukrinform.

“The energy system and the centralized heating system will be decentralized. There is no other way to protect and preserve them. The second priority is supplying alternative power sources to every element – not just to critical infrastructure facilities as a whole, but to each individual element. Every facility can consist of several elements – three to five, depending on its complexity. In just the past year and a half, more than 500 MW of cogeneration units of various capacities have been installed in territorial communities. During 2026, we expect at least one gigawatt of installed cogeneration capacity. This is de jure and de facto decentralization of the energy system,” he said.

Kuleba recalled that Ukraine had received assistance from European partners in the form of large- and medium-capacity generators and oil-filled heaters. In particular, this equipment will be distributed to Kyiv and the Kyiv region. According to the official, this is part of broader support efforts. Overall, Ukraine plans to receive 380 generators.

For his part, Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration Mykola Kalashnyk noted that buildings heated by electricity are the top priority for such equipment. At the same time, he stressed the importance of supplying power to buildings that freeze during prolonged outages.

“Another task is to ensure power generation for critical infrastructure facilities: heat supply, water supply, and wastewater disposal,” he said.

Kalashnyk added that it is also necessary to support facilities that ensure people’s functioning in difficult conditions, including Points of Invincibility and social infrastructure such as family-type children’s homes and geriatric facilities.

As Ukrinform previously reported, Ukraine received 78 units of industrial boiler equipment with a total capacity of more than 112 MW from Italy.