Kyiv Builds 13 Backup Heating Sites, Targets Year-End

Kyiv is building 13 backup heating facilities, with completion planned by the end of 2026, acting first deputy city administration head Petro Panteleiev said on Thursday, Nov. 5.Speaking at a briefing, Panteleiev said seven projects were being carried out by the city and six by the State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Work is underway at all sites, but the facilities were not scheduled to be commissioned before the heating season began.Separately, Panteleiev said the rollout of residential heating, which started on Monday, Nov. 2, would take approximately 10 days. Most buildings should have heat by Nov. 12, barring emergencies, with connections proceeding across all districts.More generators for water suppliesThe government will provide 10 additional generators to Kyiv’s water utility and distribute another 21 among 12 communities elsewhere in Ukraine.Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced the allocation on Thursday, Nov. 5, saying the equipment would be financed from the state reserve fund under a program supplying communities with mobile power generation.“People should not be left without water every time Russia attacks the energy system,” he said.Koretskyi urged local authorities to install and connect the generators as quickly as possible. He said backup electricity was critical for both water supplies and wastewater systems.Kyiv builds dedicated power supplies for water facilitiesPanteleiev also outlined a separate effort to provide backup electricity for the capital’s water and sewage infrastructure. Other Topics of Interest Russian Assaults Stall Across Several Fronts, ISW Says Ukraine’s military reported 201 clashes on Tuesday, including 24 Russian assaults around Kostiantynivka, as fighting continued across the front. The first stage, consisting of power plants with a combined capacity of 16 megawatts, has already been built, he said at the briefing. The city plans to finish the broader project by the end of the year.He explained that ordinary generators could not meet the electricity requirements of many of Kyiv’s larger water facilities. Those sites require power stations and associated infrastructure.The work involves designing installations, sourcing and manufacturing equipment in different countries, laying electricity networks, and integrating the machinery once it reaches Kyiv. Panteleiev said the complexity of those processes meant the infrastructure could not be created within one or two months.Russian attacks repeatedly disrupt essential servicesThe announcements follow repeated interruptions to water and electricity supplies caused by Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid.Kyiv fully restored water supplies on Wednesday, Nov. 4, after the previous day’s bombardment cut electricity to major water facilities. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said pressure had stabilized, while Kyivvodokanal confirmed that all water and sewage pumping stations were operating normally.Restoring electricity to a water facility does not immediately restore service to homes. Equipment must restart, pipes have to refill, and pressure must stabilize across the distribution network.Ukrenergo also said on Wednesday that emergency power cuts had been lifted in most regions, including Kyiv, allowing a return to scheduled outages. However, it warned that the electricity system remained under strain, particularly in the capital and the surrounding region.During the Nov. 2-3 attack, missiles and drones knocked three thermal power plants offline, causing extensive damage to DTEK’s equipment. The company did not provide a repair timetable or identify the affected stations in its statement.Koretskyi said energy infrastructure in nine regions had been targeted. Large power plants in Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, and the Kharkiv regions were hit, along with substations, including in western Ukraine.President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that repeated strikes were delaying repairs, with constant air raid alerts prolonging restoration work.He said attacks were occurring almost daily while repair teams worked around the clock. Ukraine had assembled reserves of essential equipment and secured agreements on new energy support packages, he added, without naming the partners or detailing the assistance. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.