Imported turbines in sheltered units and autonomy: what is known about new unique CHP plants for Kyiv?
30 October 19:36
The construction of seven new thermal power plants (TPPs) designed with an increased level of protection is underway in the capital. These are second-level security facilities that can withstand a direct hit from a Shahed drone, said Petro Panteleev, first deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, [Komersant] reports.
According to him, such protection standards are being applied in Ukraine for the first time and are actually unique even by international standards.
Mr. Panteleev explained that during the construction of new energy facilities, modern imported turbines are used, which are usually not adapted for installation in covered areas due to the requirements for ventilation and air exchange systems. In Kyiv, however, these technical challenges have been resolved, and all stations are immediately designed with additional protection in mind.
In fact, we are building seven thermal power plants of different types, immediately integrating the second level of protection. This is an unprecedented experience, because the world does not usually install turbines of this type in confined protected spaces. Kyiv became the first city where this is being implemented,” said Panteleev.
The official added that the structures of the buildings are made of reinforced concrete that can withstand one direct hit from a kamikaze drone. He emphasized that other details of the facilities’ resilience are not disclosed for security reasons.
The construction of such stations is part of a plan to strengthen the capital’s energy independence and ensure stable heat supply even in the event of new attacks. The new facilities have increased autonomy, modern control systems and are designed to meet wartime requirements.
What is the second security level for thermal power plants?
A CHP plant with the second level of safety is a thermal power plant whose critical equipment is protected by special double-shell structures: an external pre-detonation screen made of mesh or shaped metal elements and an internal steel or reinforced concrete frame that provides protection against debris and blast waves. This level of protection involves local reinforcement of individual facilities rather than complete sheltering of the entire plant.
The main elements of the second level of protection:
- Double containment: consists of an outer pre-construction shield and an inner reinforced concrete or steel concrete frame.
- Critical element protection: Specific components, such as generators and turbines, are protected by steel frames with removable metal sheets.
- Secondary damage protection: The shell shields equipment from shrapnel and shockwaves generated by indirect hits.
The purpose of this protection is to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the CHP plant, protect equipment from damage and reduce the impact of attacks on electricity generation and heat supply.
Seven CHP plants for Kyiv: what details are known about them
According to the deputy mayor of the capital , Anna Starostenko, seven new mini-CHPs will be launched in the city by the end of 2025. They will be built in different parts of the city.
“According to our reports, by the end of the year, some elements of this particular cogeneration system will be introduced, in fact, such mini-CHPs that will start working, and I hope this will be a serious support for our energy system in Kyiv,” she said.
It should be noted that the project was not without criticism. MP Oleksiy Kucherenko expressed doubts about the effectiveness of launching seven mini-CHP plants in the capital by the end of the year on Kyivske Vremia.
He explained that these plants will not be able to replace CHP-5 and CHP-6, which have 750 MW of capacity each, and even 160 boiler houses in Kyiv are not able to fully take on the city’s heat load.
Read also: Winter 2025 may become the darkest: experts warn of new blackouts
Why there is an urgent need to build new CHP plants in the capital
on October 10, the Russian Armed Forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones. In particular, Kyiv’s CHP-5 and CHP-6.
Volodymyr Omelchenko, Director of Energy Programs at the Razumkov Center, confirmed that it was the most massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector.
“It was the most massive Russian attack on our energy infrastructure since April-March 2024. It was a systemic attack – they attacked thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and transmission operator systems,” he said.
And according to Oleksiy Kucherenko, because two thermal power plants had to be disconnected from the capital’s power grid, Kyiv lost about 1,400 megawatts of power.
“Kyiv is already deficient in terms of generation. It can’t live without external power supply, it doesn’t have enough of its own,” the MP explained.
He also emphasized that neither the central nor local authorities nor private owners had properly prepared for attacks and possible power outages.
The same day, the Kyiv City State Administration responded to Kucherenko’s statement. They refuted his information about the lack of protection at the capital’s thermal power plants. The department said that such statements, which are spread in the media, are “political manipulation and do not correspond to reality.”
They assured that Kyiv’s CHPPs have the necessary level of protection determined by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The authorities do not disclose more detailed information about the technical parameters or the level of fortification of the facilities for security reasons.
The Kyiv City State Administration also reminded that, according to the order of the Ministry of Energy, all data on the state of critical infrastructure, damage sites or the degree of its protection are classified as restricted information. And the deputy head of the administration, Petro Panteleev, emphasized that unfounded public statements about the alleged insecurity of the facilities create additional risks for the energy sector and actually help the enemy.
On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a similar “energy bet”.
According to sources, he sharply criticized government officials and the military leadership. The meeting on October 10 with the leadership of the President’s Office, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies turned into one of the most tense in recent memory.
The main topic was an audit of agreements with international partners on the supply of defense equipment to the energy system. Zelenskyy demanded specific answers on how many energy facilities have already been protected and which need additional fortifications to avoid large-scale blackouts in winter. However, according to the publication’s interlocutors, none of the officials could provide clear data or take responsibility for the state of preparation.
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Sources describe the atmosphere at the meeting as tense: the longer the conversation went on, the less clear it became who was responsible for implementing the decisions. At one point, the president, irritated by evasions and formal reports, raised his voice, demanding that his subordinates speak to the point and stop passing the buck.
The worst thing is that when Zelensky directly asks who is responsible for closing certain facilities, who is responsible for additional protection, everyone is silent and looks away,” said one of the participants of the meeting.
The context for this emotional discussion was the report of the Accounting Chamber, which found serious violations during the implementation of the project to protect energy facilities. Among the findings were overestimated costs, non-transparent contracts, and unaccounted for debt obligations of the Ministry of Development and the Recovery Agency.
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