Ukrainian Minister Hosts European Lawmakers at Damaged Power Station
Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine's Minister for Communities and Territories Development, guided a delegation of European parliamentarians from 14 countries on a visit to a severely damaged combined heat and power plant (CHPP) in Kyiv. Before being targeted, this facility provided heating and hot water to more than 500,000 residents of the capital. It has sustained major damage from 13 separate missile and drone attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion, with nine of those strikes occurring during this heating season alone.
The plant supplied heat to over 1,100 residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, and medical facilities. Cleanup of debris and assessment of structural damage is ongoing at the site. A workforce of more than 700 specialists is working to gradually repair the damaged equipment.
'Since the full-scale invasion began, this CHPP has endured 13 missile and drone attacks, nine of them in this heating season alone. Despite this, the plant's team of over 700 specialists is progressively restoring the damaged equipment.' Oleksiy Kuleba
Appeal for Energy Sector Support
During the meeting with the European MPs, whose 31-member delegation included representatives from:
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Poland
- Spain
- Lithuania
- Estonia
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- Hungary
- Slovakia
Minister Kuleba appealed for continued support for Ukraine's energy sector. He presented a preparedness plan for the upcoming heating season and outlined the country's urgent needs, which include developing distributed generation, modular power capacities, and backup supply systems. Ukraine's total emergency requirement for additional electrical and thermal generation capacity exceeds 1,800 MW. This visit underscores the critical vulnerability of civilian energy infrastructure, which has been a primary target during the conflict.
'I thank our European partners for their support. The resilience of our energy system is a matter of security for millions of people.' Oleksiy Kuleba
The tour of the ruined power plant by the Ukrainian minister and European lawmakers highlights the vital importance of international assistance in rebuilding Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which has suffered extensive war damage. Preparing for the next winter and securing new power generation sources are among the immense challenges the country faces in ensuring stable heat supply for its population and critical institutions. Strengthening the energy sector is fundamental to Ukraine's economic recovery and the safety of its citizens.