Cherkasy plans to double CHP capacity, cover half of city's electricity needs – Cherkasyteplokomunenergo director

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Cherkasy has built an extensive network of cogeneration units (CHP) with a total capacity of about 20 MW, covering one-fifth of the city’s electricity needs, and now plans to double that capacity, said Pavlo Karas, director of Cherkasyteplokomunenergo.

"We have about 20 cogeneration units with a total capacity of more than 20 MW, combined into a single network that enables operation in island mode in the event of blackouts and ensures the functioning of critical infrastructure. We also supply electricity covering roughly 20% of Cherkasy’s consumption," Karas said in an interview with the Energy Reform online portal.

According to him, the CHP units are owned by the territorial community. Five units were purchased with a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, one unit was financed by the city council, while others were provided by donors – USAID and GIZ. The connections were carried out at the expense of Cherkasyteplokomunenergo.

Karas said the city plans to install roughly the same additional CHP capacity.

"We already have several units on the way, and more have been ordered. In total, we planned to install approximately the same number of units as we currently have. Overall, our mayor set a goal to increase our total generation from 20% to about half of Cherkasy’s consumption. Then we would feel much more confident about the future," the utility’s director explained.

He said that the city and the company began developing cogeneration as early as 2004, but built such an extensive network specifically during the war.

"This has delivered a fundamental result. There were no disruptions in heat supply in Cherkasy despite fairly severe electricity outages… We had both heating and hot water. This contributed to around 30,000 families moving from Kyiv to Cherkasy this winter," Karas said.

At the same time, he expressed the view that the main reason for significant disruptions in heat supply in Kyiv following Russian strikes this winter is precisely the lack of distributed generation.

"We deliberately built distributed generation in Cherkasy to protect our territorial community. In fact, we are the only city in Ukraine that has fully implemented the president’s plan for such construction," Karas said.

At the same time, he warned that the government’s cancellation of preferential gas for electricity producers starting April 1 threatens the development of cogeneration.

As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers amended Resolution No. 222 from April 1, canceling preferential gas for electricity generation, leaving it in place for another six months only for frontline territories. In particular, Cherkasyteplokomunenergo announced the forced shutdown of its cogeneration units and the cessation of electricity generation. The utility also noted that it cannot purchase gas on the market because there is no mechanism in place for such purchases for enterprises like it.

In an interview with Energy Reform, Karas said heat utilities are ready to operate on the market, but clear mechanisms and fair conditions are needed.