Kyiv may turn out to be the least prepared for winter, believes Serhii Sukhomlyn, former head of the Agency for Recovery and Infrastructure Development. Speaking at an event organised by LB and EFI Group, he said that in February, when the Resilience Plans began to be developed, the capital had the lowest baseline level of preparedness.
According to him, Kharkiv was 51% ready, Chernihiv 24%. Kyiv was at 1.5%.
“I can’t say right now, but everything will be fine and everything will work out, God willing, up to 40%,” he said.
Sukhomlyn added that in winter, after attacks, Kharkiv managed within four hours to switch the city over and restore heat supply.
“Today, the situation in Kyiv is the most difficult,” he said.
Sukhomlyn does not share the view that CHP plants should be restored. It is a huge asset that can be destroyed by strikes. Instead, a decentralised heating system is needed, he believes.
“I would install semi-underground boiler houses, which we are building today — the smallest is 40 MW, the largest 120 MW,” Serhii Sukhomlyn said.
Burying such facilities in the ground reduces the likelihood of being hit. Four years would have been enough for this, and it is cost-effective.
Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih have fairly good preparedness for the challenges of winter, Sukhomlyn added.