Kyiv builds backup heating network as Russian attacks disrupt water and power supplies
Kyiv is developing a backup heating network with approximately 1,600 megawatts of thermal capacity as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, city officials said on October 9. The Ukrainian capital has also installed 700 generators to support water and heating systems, although major pumping stations still require larger power sources.
Deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration Petro Panteleiev said the city is implementing a program covering 13 heating infrastructure projects, which officials plan to complete by the end of 2026.
The projects are intended to provide alternative sources of heat if major facilities supplying the capital are destroyed in Russian attacks.
“These are fairly complex technological projects involving the construction of new heating sources designed specifically for a situation in which the main facilities are destroyed,” Panteleiev said.
According to Ukrainska Pravda's economic desk, the approximately 1,600 megawatts of distributed heating capacity under development include modular boiler plants, standalone boiler facilities and upgrades to existing infrastructure.
The city also has 80 modular and mobile boiler units, while designated warming centers and emergency support points have been established across Kyiv's districts.
Why hundreds of generators are not enough
Panteleiev said 700 generators have been installed to support the city's water supply and heating infrastructure. Smaller and medium-sized facilities have backup power, but major pumping stations require substantially more electricity.
Powering those stations requires dedicated power plants rather than conventional generators, he explained. Such equipment must be manufactured to order, delivered and installed, a process that takes time.
The limitations are already affecting residents.
Following Russian attacks and amid electricity shortages, water pressure has been reduced in several districts on Kyiv's right bank, including Shevchenkivskyi, Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi and Holosiivskyi.
Electricity shortages can affect far more than household lighting. Pumping stations need power to maintain water pressure, while heating systems and other essential urban services also depend on electricity.
The challenges illustrate how attacks on energy infrastructure can disrupt basic living conditions across a major city, even where backup generators have been installed.
Russia intensifies attacks on energy infrastructure
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said Russian forces have been attacking energy infrastructure almost daily since the summer, with the latest large-scale combined attack being the most extensive since the end of the previous heating season.
He said energy facilities in Kyiv, the surrounding region and other parts of Ukraine had come under attack.
Koretskyi urged local authorities across the country to check backup power arrangements for critical infrastructure.
Kyiv's planned heating projects are part of its preparations for further strikes, but officials have not specified how many of the 13 projects are already operational or how much of the planned thermal capacity is currently available.