Long hours of darkness? Discover how cities are preparing for winter power outages.

Kiev's "Residential Power Plant"

Kiev reports that it has completed preparations for the heating season: "Kyivteploenergo" has prepared nearly three thousand thermal points for winter, as planned.

As noted by hromadske, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration (KGGA) Petro Panteleev mentioned that all boiler houses capable of doing so have been equipped with generators.

Additionally, 51 mobile boiler units are ready for operation — they will heat social institutions, hospitals, and "points of invincibility" if needed.

Residents of apartment buildings still have access to various programs to help prepare for winter. These programs offer reimbursement for the costs of purchasing alternative power sources and co-financing for major repairs of buildings. Applications can be submitted for multiple programs simultaneously, with no restrictions.

According to KGVA, this year, Kyiv residents have submitted over 400 applications to receive compensation for purchased generators, solar power plants, and charging stations.

Among the original solutions in the capital is the first "residential power plant" in Ukraine. An apartment building on Mytropolyta Sheptytskoho Street has been equipped with solar generation equipment, allowing it to produce electricity.

If the building loses power, pumps for water supply, elevators, corridor lighting, and internet connectivity will still function.

In the event of excess electricity, it will be supplied to the national energy grid — on average, the OSMD plans to generate 40-45 kWh for the grid in autumn and spring.

Lviv's "Points of Invincibility"

Lviv has managed to equip all municipal hospitals and boarding schools with solid fuel boilers. Now, they will remain warm even without centralized heating, reported hromadske Mayor Andriy Sadovyi.

The city has also reached an agreement with colleagues from Norway for the supply of cogeneration plants with a capacity of 20 MW for critical infrastructure.

"We are implementing this project together with the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration. We agreed that part of the equipment will go to Lviv, while another part will go to Zaporizhzhia due to the difficult situation there," Sadovyi said.

Lviv has also procured a sufficient number of solid fuel boiler units for its large schools. This will allow them to be converted into "points of invincibility" during critical situations, accommodating up to five hundred people in each.

Sadovyi reminded that back in 2022, Lviv managed to equip every shelter with stoves and stock up on firewood, so that in case the heating system fails, residents could go to the shelters. The stoves were not needed then, but the mayor notes: "They are in working condition. We check this together with SES."

The city can also boast that it has provided alternative power for all 68 traffic lights installed at complex intersections. Furthermore, it is negotiating with mobile operators for alternative power at base stations.

"We have much greater resilience compared to 2022 — now we understand better how to operate under critical conditions... We must survive under any circumstances," assures the mayor of Lviv.

Odessa Without Its Own Generation

Power outages in Odessa are among the most challenging — the city lacks its own generation, and Russia regularly attacks substations.

To manage the heating season effectively, small boiler houses have been equipped with generators for the third consecutive year, stated hromadske Deputy Mayor of Odessa Anna Pozdnyakova.

As for large boiler houses, the city has already received its first cogeneration unit, with three more expected by the end of the year. This is a joint project with UNDP in Ukraine, funded by the governments of Japan, Norway, and Sweden.

Odessa has developed its own algorithm for responding to blackouts. In particular, the city has ensured a sufficient supply of technical and drinking water, as well as generators for "points of invincibility" and critical infrastructure facilities.

The city has prepared 445 equipped "points of invincibility": 80 of them are in schools. According to Pozdnyakova, these points are equipped with everything necessary — Odessa residents can warm up and charge their mobile devices there.

"All algorithms have been developed and repeatedly practiced. Of course, it is impossible to foresee every possible situation, as the enemy continues to terrorize the civilian population. But we have an action plan, and we know how to respond to unpredictable situations," assures Pozdnyakova.

The city has also considered the operation of traffic lights during blackouts: more than half of them are equipped with backup power — they can function for 2 to 8 hours.

All critical infrastructure — schools, hospitals, daycares — have had their own generators since last year. According to the official, the fuel supply should be sufficient for the operation of the entire critical infrastructure, municipal services, and "points of invincibility."

Dnipro's Focus on Water

In Dnipro, there has been a problem where, even after electricity is restored, water does not immediately reach the top floors of high-rise buildings. To address this issue, the city has purchased additional pumping stations. Currently, 98 buildings housing about 25,000 residents are equipped with them.

"We are continuing this project, with an additional 160 buildings planned — that's another 28,000 residents," says Ihor Makovtsev, Deputy Mayor of Dnipro.

Another aspect that Makovtsev says is often overlooked is wastewater management. While residents can stock up on water, it is essential to ensure that sewage can exit homes and undergo treatment, etc. Therefore, when accidents occur in the drainage systems, the city conducts repairs.

The official told hromadske that Dnipro's critical infrastructure must operate stably during outages. According to him, each hospital has generators that can be activated when necessary to ensure uninterrupted operation.

Each municipal enterprise and school will have "points of invincibility." Here, people can charge gadgets, warm up, heat water, and connect to the internet. For the "points of invincibility," stoves and a sufficient supply of firewood have been arranged.

Dnipro can also organize the operation of traffic lights during outages: already more than 30 of them have alternative power, and by the end of the month, there should be 70-75. The city has consulted with the patrol police regarding priorities.

"Clearly, there is no need to power all traffic lights — some are in very remote areas and only serve pedestrians, for instance," explains Makovtsev.

Winter Holidays

The decision on how to navigate a potentially challenging winter is being made not only at the city level but also at the level of individual institutions. For example, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University has declared a three-month holiday for students — from December to March.

The university assures that this does not affect the level of education, as students began the semester on August 12 and study six days a week. This arrangement allows them to avoid studying during the cold season and not shorten the curriculum.

"This was dictated by the uncertainty surrounding electricity supply in the winter months: if there are blackouts or power interruptions, internet access will be unreliable. This means that online learning will be difficult to ensure," commented Ruslan Beloskurksy, rector of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, to hromadske.

What Can Everyone Do?

Today, the Ukrainian energy system continues to recover after nine massive attacks by Russia, noted on November 12 in "Ukrenergo." Emergency and planned repairs are ongoing at energy facilities.

The company urges Ukrainians not to turn on multiple high-power devices simultaneously between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM, as this is when the system is under the most strain. They ask residents to use appliances sequentially: if the electric stove is on — do not turn on the kettle or hairdryer, and if the boiler is on — wait before ironing.

"Following these simple recommendations will reduce the load on the energy system and make it more resilient to sharp fluctuations in consumption," added in "Ukrenergo."