No European country is capable of recovering as quickly as Kyiv did after shelling, says expert, adding that capital may be left without heating
No other European country could have responded so effectively to the consequences of the record shelling that hit Kyiv on the night of January 9 and restored heat supply so quickly. Utility services worked smoothly and efficiently, which made it possible to save the system as a whole.
This was stated by Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Research Center, in an interview with Liga.Net, according to Censor.NET.
"First, there was preparation. Kyivteploenergo was prepared for such a scenario. They instructed those responsible for the buildings and conducted training on what to do. And when our largest heat sources were destroyed, they quickly drained the water where it would definitely not be needed. They began connecting other sources, because there are 180 separate boiler rooms scattered throughout Kyiv. At the same time, they repaired what had been damaged. They even turned off the hot water and lowered the temperature of the heat transfer fluid in order to connect as many buildings as possible to the sources that were still working. So that people would have at least +10 instead of -5. And most importantly, the heating system survived this situation. Honestly, I am sure that no European country would have been able to do anything like this," Kharchenko said.
He noted that the Kyiv authorities, preparing for shelling, installed backup generators and provided an additional 56 megawatts; if not for this, the situation would have been much worse.
"In fact, Kyiv has done more than the whole country put together. That's my honest personal assessment. That is, the amount of gas piston equipment purchased and installed. They installed 56 megawatts. And if it weren't for those 56 megawatts, and if it weren't for the backup generators, which Kyiv had more of than anyone else, the situation would have been many times worse. Kyiv is being hit the hardest, that's an objective fact. The largest number of strikes is concentrated in Kyiv. And the thermal power plants themselves, unfortunately, are physically impossible to protect," the expert said.
The expert stressed that he does not see a scenario in which Kyiv will be completely left without heating.
"Is it possible that Kyiv will be completely left without heating? No, I don't see such a scenario, in principle. At least 60-70% of Kyiv will always have heating, even after the worst attacks. Yes, there may be instances when water will be drained again in certain areas and then refilled. These are possible operations," emphasized the director of the Energy Research Center.
