Kyiv is preparing homes for winter: almost 90% already have preparedness certificates, but risks remain
18 September 2025 16:44
Almost 90% of residential buildings in Kyiv managed by municipal management companies have received certificates of readiness for the heating season as of mid-September.
This was reported by the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Housing organizations are obliged to receive documents from heat supply companies after surveys and inspections of engineering systems.
What the KCSA says
Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration Petro Panteleev emphasized that the preparations are going according to schedule:
“The housing stock in the capital is different. There are houses that are 50-90 years old or more, with different conditions of basements, pipelines, heating stations, etc., and where there is an objective need for a comprehensive replacement of systems. Nevertheless, despite the different technical configurations, there is a common and mandatory requirement – technical serviceability.”
According to him, there is not much time before the cold weather starts, but it is enough to correct the remarks of heat suppliers.
Where the risks are greatest
- Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts have the oldest heating stations and worn-out networks.
- Podilskyi – some neighborhoods with emergency pipelines.
- Darnytskyi district – due to new buildings and expansion of residential areas, the load on the system is growing faster than the networks can be modernized.
In new residential complexes, especially on the Left Bank, the situation is much better – the systems are modern and require only maintenance.
Expert forecasts: tariffs and scenarios
Experts agree that the current level of preparation is a positive signal, but the final outcome will depend on the course of the winter and the security of the energy infrastructure.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, Director of the Energy Research Center:
“Kyiv is physically ready. Another question is whether the power system will withstand massive attacks. The main risk is not so much in the condition of internal house networks as in whether we will have stable generation and the ability to supply heat and electricity.”
Andriy Gerus, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy:
“Tariffs for households will remain fixed at least until the end of the season. The deficit in the heating companies will be covered by subsidies to avoid a social explosion. But even a fixed tariff does not mean there are no problems – the key challenge is the physical security of heating facilities.”
Scenarios for Kyiv
- Optimistic: stable operation of the power system, localized accidents are quickly resolved, and there are no massive heat outages.
- Medium: spotty damage during attacks, emergency crews quickly connect reserves, outages last for hours or days.
- Crisis level: massive attacks on thermal power plants and substations, systemic heat and electricity outages, deployment of heating stations across the city.
Context: the country’s energy system
The Minister of Energy of Ukraine Svitlana Hrynchuk said that 17.6 GW of capacity would be ready for winter. This is slightly more than last year, thanks to the repair of nuclear power plants and the involvement of additional gas units.
However, the agency admits that even this capacity does not guarantee complete stability. Russia has repeatedly stated that attacks on the energy sector remain “part of its military strategy.”
Ukraine is entering its third winter of full-scale war.
- In 2022-2023, the country experienced massive blackouts and emergency heating.
- In 2023-2024, the situation was more stable, thanks to large-scale repairs and assistance from Western partners.
Kyiv remains one of the main areas of attack. The city has already created a reserve of mobile boiler houses and more than 500 heating points in case of large-scale accidents.
