Kyiv cannot fully replace centralized heating with local sources – Klitschko

Kyiv’s municipal services have already begun preparations for the next heating season and are working on options to restore damaged infrastructure and create alternative sources of heat and power supply.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said this, according to Ukrinform, citing the city administration.

The Mayor said he had convened Kyiv’s Energy Security and Resilience Council, which includes specialists in the energy and housing-and-utilities sectors, as well as scientists and independent experts.

The council discussed the restoration of damaged critical infrastructure facilities in the city and the possibility of introducing alternative capacities in certain neighborhoods.

According to Klitschko, all experts emphasized that Kyiv’s centralized heating system was originally designed to operate with large combined heat and power plants, making it impossible to fully replace it with local heat sources.

The city is therefore seeking alternative options for autonomous power supply for the energy system. These projects are “very costly,” Klitschko said, and Kyiv is counting on support from the state and Western partners.

“The development of cogeneration is clearly an important direction, primarily to provide additional electricity generation for critical infrastructure and other municipal needs. In other words, alternative technologies must be implemented in parallel with the modernization and protection of the centralized heat supply system. This task is not simple, but it must be carried out,” the Mayor said.

Klitschko also noted that specialized research institutes have been involved in urgently developing a clear roadmap for responding to critical situations in Kyiv’s energy system under martial law and during massive Russian attacks, as well as a strategic plan for the city’s future energy supply and heating system.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, during a Russian attack on Kyiv on February 3, the Darnytsia CHP Plant sustained critical damage. Restoring its systems and equipment will take at least two months.