Odesa Allocates ₴60M for Cogeneration Units to Boost Energy Autonomy

At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning, Budget and Finance of the Odesa City Council, deputies supported the allocation of the first UAH 60 million for the Odesa City Heat Supply Utility to buy new cogeneration units to create its own generation within the city.

This was discussed at the commission.

In total, the project will require about UAH 200 million before the start of the heating season.

As explained at the commission, the program provides for the installation of 9 gas piston stations that are capable of autonomously ensuring the operation of boiler houses and pumping stations even in the event of a power outage. In normal mode, they operate on gas and are able to generate electricity independently, which is planned to be sold to the grid in the future to reduce costs and improve the financial stability of the enterprise.

During the discussion, the deputies suggested paying attention to available lending mechanisms, in particular the government's 5-7-9 program, and considering the possibility of attracting grants and assistance from the Cabinet of Ministers and specialized funds that support energy autonomy projects.

"This is a very important program, but I have a suggestion for the TMA management. Please look, there are many loans, many programs that allow us to raise money at minimal interest... It seems to me that the economic component will be very attractive. In addition, the money we are spending on this could be spent on more necessary purposes for the city," said the representative at the commission.

The issue of allocating funds will be submitted for consideration at the next session of the Odesa City Council.

In 2023, Odesa developed a project to install cogeneration equipment for distributed electricity generation, which should provide the city with heat and water in case of blackouts. The total cost of the project is UAH 1.2 billion. After approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure and UNDP, the city received confirmation of the supply of equipment worth UAH 1 billion, including 9 cogeneration units, transformers, etc. Four of them have already arrived in Odesa, and one has been launched at the expense of the Odesa City Heat Supply Company.

After that, at the Standing Committee on Housing and Communal Services, the deputies decided that the director of the utility company should first get approval from the Budget Committee, and then the Committee on Housing and Communal Services would support the issue for consideration by the session. However, according to the deputies, they should try to resubmit these projects to the DREAM Commission to attract state budget funds.

Ірина Глухова