Kyiv plans to introduce more than 1.5 GW of additional heat generation capacity, but some backup boilers will start operating after the heating season begins. It will take approximately two months to complete construction, connect equipment to networks and fine-tune it.
Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport Mykola Kalashnyk announced this on October 25 after inspecting the construction of backup boilers and the protection of critical infrastructure in the capital.
According to the minister, at some sites, equipment installation will continue until the end of December 2026. At the same time, significant volumes of construction work, connection to utilities and commissioning remain ahead.
Thus, additional capacity will be introduced gradually throughout the current winter. The announced 1.5 GW relates specifically to heat, not electricity, generation. The minister did not specify how much of the planned capacity will actually be launched by the end of the year.
To speed up the completion of work, contractors are considering alternative options for connecting boilers to gas networks. Simultaneous execution of construction and gas works, involvement of additional crews and organization of multiple shifts are also planned.
Kalashnyk emphasized that equipment installation alone does not mean that the boilers are ready for operation. Full launch requires completion of connection and verification of the stability of all systems.
The customers of the work are the Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service in Kyiv Oblast and the Kyiv City State Administration. The Ministry, together with city authorities and the gas distribution organization, resolves issues of project approval, provision of equipment and connection of new capacities.
Separately, the minister reported on the inspection of a facility that was transferred from state to communal ownership. It is expected to become an additional source of energy supply for a part of the capital in the near future.
The construction of backup boilers is part of Kyiv's energy resilience plan. New heat sources should reduce the dependence of certain districts on large centralized combined heat and power plants and provide backup heating in case of damage to main infrastructure.
Recall that back in August, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the city had contracted equipment and started work on backup heat supply facilities with a total capacity of more than 1 GW. The Restoration Agency was also working on facilities with a capacity of 564 MW. Already then it was assumed that part of the large projects would be completed after the start of the heating season.
According to Public data, the heating season in the capital began on October 16 with the connection of social sector institutions to heat.
At the same time, city authorities continue to develop distributed electricity generation. In particular, by the end of 2026 Kyiv plans to bring the capacity of cogeneration units to 200 MW. This is a separate program that should not be equated with the construction of more than 1.5 GW of backup heat generation.
