“A monument to good intentions”: why hundreds of cogeneration plants in Ukraine are not working
21 January 18:36
Due to constant Russian shelling of centralized facilities (thermal power plants, combined heat and power plants), the government decided to assist with the decentralization of Ukraine’s energy system. However, problems have arisen with this — it is not possible to quickly connect even the existing gas and diesel generators, cogeneration modules, gas turbine and gas piston units, and energy storage systems. Businesses, which have long sought energy independence, especially during blackouts, have been the first to face this problem. And there are problems, as
According to Cabinet Chair Yulia Svyrydenko, one of the key tasks now is to increase distributed generation in the country by all possible means and as quickly as possible. This is an additional tool for the country’s energy security. Therefore, the government continues to provide full assistance for the launch of all installations.
The prime minister noted that they are listening to businesses that are facing problems connecting alternative energy sources for uninterrupted operation. She suggested that in case of difficulties, they should contact the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine by filling out a form on the online platform “Pulse.”
There is a desire, but no opportunity
As emphasized in a comment
“It is impossible to fix everything with desire alone, with ‘manual’ control. ‘Manual’ control replaces the system, and the system wants to change the situation manually. The decision seems to be correct, but it does not work that way. If we have decided to help businesses establish connections, then let’s look at the laws that regulate this and amend them. The ideas are correct, but the problem lies in their implementation,” the expert believes.
Business wants stability. Generators are expensive. Gas piston installations are the right solution, and we need to think about how to install them. Already today, connections to gas and electricity take six months or more.
“We have a huge number of unused gas piston installations that are not connected for various reasons. And the reasons are very diverse: sometimes it is not possible, sometimes they want money, and so on,” emphasizes Oleg Popenko.
Incidentally, MP and former Minister of Housing and Utilities Oleksiy Kucherenko considers the government’s initiative to be good, but points out that the government needs to carefully examine the nuances of pricing in the energy sector and heat supply in particular.
“The uncontrolled and unregulated development of cogeneration will inevitably lead to an increase in heating tariffs,” the MP believes.
A monument to good intentions
According to Mykola Kolomiichenko, head of the NGO “Center for Sustainable Development Strategy,” there is currently a real problem with the launch of cogeneration plants (CGP). Although they are available in the country, only a small portion are currently in operation.
According to the expert’s calculations, a total of about 180-200 cogeneration plants are physically located in Ukraine under various programs — humanitarian, donor, municipal, and state programs — ranging from micro-CHP plants of 200-400 kW to plants of 2-4 MW. In reality, about 80–85 CHP plants have been put into operation, which is less than 50% of those available.
“The rest are on their foundations, assembled without commissioning, connected to heat but not to electricity, or ‘there is an acceptance certificate, but the button has not been pressed,'” notes Mykola Kolomiichenko.
The average electrical capacity of one CHP plant is 0.9–1.2 MW. The total installed electrical capacity of the supplied CHPs is about 170–190 MW, and about 75–85 MW is actually in operation. This is 1 average TPP power unit, but “spread” across the country, which is strategically correct but critically insufficient.
The thermal capacity of cogeneration is always greater. The average coefficient is 1.3–1.6 MW of heat per 1 MW of electricity. The total thermal capacity of the supplied CHPs is about 240–280 MW. In fact, about 110–130 MW are used. This is enough heat for approximately 150–180 thousand apartments or the critical infrastructure of a medium-sized city.
Reasons why they are not working:
- Lack of design: CHPs were delivered before the connection project was ready; no hydraulics; no backup schemes; no mode calculations.
- Electricity is the main obstacle. It is easier to connect heat. But parallel operation with the network, relay protection, automatic transfer switching, relay protection and automation, coordination — this is where most municipal enterprises “failed.”
- There is no one to start the KGU. This requires specialists such as an engineer, an ACS specialist, an energy specialist, and a service department. Communities often have one electrician and two plumbers.
- There are not enough funds to start it up.
“Ukraine got cogeneration, but did not get a system to put it into operation. We have hundreds of megawatts of potential, dozens of megawatts of actual operation, and a huge gap between them. This is not a technical problem. This is a managerial and organizational disaster,” emphasizes Mykola Kolomiichenko.
What needs to be done immediately:
- Standard connection projects.
- Centralized installation and commissioning teams.
- A single standard for integrating KGU into the heating network.
- A launch fund, not just a procurement fund.
Because a CGU that does not work is not a reserve. It is a monument to good intentions…
Experts believe that the government’s statement signals two things:
- They understand that it is not enough to bring in generators; they need to ensure that they work.
- They are creating a simplified communication channel — the Pulse platform, where businesses can directly complain about specific obstacles to connecting their generators. This is an attempt to “sort out” the situation manually and remove administrative barriers. The main thing is that it works.
Author: Alla Dunina
