Kyiv’s 3 Main CHP Plants Stop Producing Power

Kyiv’s three main combined heat and power plants are no longer producing electricity, leaving the capital more dependent on supplies from elsewhere in Ukraine, according to a report published on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Ekonomichna Pravda reported, citing sources at an energy company, that CHP-5, CHP-6 and the Darnytsia plant, also known as CHP-4, had lost their ability to generate electricity. Their contribution previously could reach approximately 1.3 gigawatts.

The report concerns the capital’s largest plants rather than the disappearance of every source of electricity within Kyiv. It also identified smaller distributed generating facilities already operating in the city.

Russian forces targeted all three plants again overnight on Oct. 13-14, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky said on Wednesday. Energy infrastructure supplying the capital and central Ukraine was also attacked.

Emergency crews began firefighting, clearing debris and carrying out priority repairs at the affected facilities.

Kyiv depends on power reaching the city

The loss of major local generating capacity leaves Kyiv more exposed to damage along the transmission network bringing electricity into the capital.

The city remains connected to Ukraine’s national grid, but available generation elsewhere cannot compensate for damaged delivery infrastructure unless sufficient power can reach consumers.

Lawmaker Serhiy Nahorniak told Kyiv24 on Oct. 13 that Kyiv’s electricity consumption reaches approximately two gigawatts during peak winter hours. He identified damage to transmission infrastructure as a major risk alongside problems at the city’s power plants.

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DTEK Kyiv Grids explains that national grid operator Ukrenergo determines restrictions based on the condition of the wider system.

Distribution companies then deliver the available electricity to households and businesses and implement those restrictions.

Damage can also leave neighboring buildings with different supply conditions because they are connected to different lines or substations.

Restoring one connection therefore does not necessarily restore service throughout a district.

Longer winter cuts remain a risk

Ekonomichna Pravda described outages of up to 20 hours a day as a worst-case winter scenario involving severe cold, further major attacks and restrictions on electricity deliveries.

That is a conditional assessment, rather than an announced timetable for the capital.

Earlier this month, Oleh Popenko, head of Ukraine’s Union of Utility Consumers, warned that further attacks could leave Kyiv facing 14-16 hours without electricity daily.

“Further strikes could result in Kyiv already facing schedules of 14 to 16 hours without electricity in October,” he said.

The length of future outages will depend on additional damage, repairs, available generating capacity, imports and the ability to move electricity through the grid.

On Thursday, DTEK’s official outage page said scheduled stabilization cuts were operating in Kyiv under Ukrenergo’s instructions.

The company warns that emergency restrictions can interrupt published schedules when operators need to balance the system urgently. Such cuts can occur without the advance notice associated with scheduled outages.

Electricity disruption also affects water supplies

The consequences extend beyond household lighting. Water pumps, heating equipment, hospitals, transportation, and communications all need reliable electricity.

Following Wednesday’s attack, Kyiv authorities reported water supply disruptions in several districts, saying reduced voltage prevented pumping equipment from operating normally.

Some facilities stopped in an emergency, leaving residents with reduced pressure or no running water.

The electrical operating status of the three CHP plants should also be distinguished from the availability of heating across the entire city.

Kyiv’s heat supply includes other facilities, while electricity is needed to operate equipment that moves water and heat through distribution networks.

Backup systems support essential services

In an Oct. 14 update on emergency preparations, city authorities said Kyiv had prepared approximately 700 generators for water and heating facilities, together with 70 mobile boiler units.

Three diesel power stations with a combined capacity of 16 megawatts had been built to provide backup electricity for water supplies.

Authorities said another 40 megawatts was planned by the end of the year.

The city also reported 480 generators at healthcare facilities and independent water wells at 15 hospitals.

More than 6,000 generators, inverters and batteries had been purchased for residential buildings through municipal energy-resilience programs.

These systems are intended to sustain individual facilities and essential services during interruptions. They provide a smaller reserve alongside the capital’s connection to the national grid, rather than replacing the output previously available from its largest power plants.