Ukrainian capital gets special equipment, generators from US, says governor

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine's capital Kyiv has received special equipment and generators from the US to be used at heat and boiler supply stations, the city's governor announced on Thursday.

"Under the USAID (US Agency for International Development) international technical assistance program, the Energy Security Project provided KP KyivTeploEnergo with four excavators and more than 130 generators free of charge," Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. KyivTemploEnergo is a municipal energy company in the capital.

Klitschko said new backhoe loaders would help emergency workers in the city quickly repair damage to heating networks and restore supply to residents.

"The new and modern special equipment will allow expeditious and accurate excavation of the soil, which means that it will speed up the execution of emergency works," Klitschko further noted.

Klitschko added that diesel generators were provided by USAID and were transferred to boilers, thermal power plants, and heat supply stations to provide for their needs, including dispatching and communication.

"These are the objects that are important to provide with independent power sources. With the help of generators, it will be possible to reduce interruptions in the supply of heat to the people of Kyiv in the event of accidents and to establish communication between KyivTeploEnergo divisions in the event of a long-term lack of electricity supply," he said.

He also noted that 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of the heating grid, damaged by rocket attacks, were replaced with the USAID assistance, for which "the US Government handed over pipes and equipment worth 1.3 million dollars."

"Kyiv is grateful to USAID and the USAID Energy Security Project for understanding the needs of the energy industry, providing high-quality technical assistance support at all stages, from the application for technical assistance to its direct receipt," he added.

Since Russia began its war against Ukraine in February, Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been the target of Russian attacks, which increased dramatically after an explosion on Oct. 8 damaged Russia's key Kerch Bridge connecting the country with the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.​​​​​​​