Ukrainian cities turn off heating one by one: where the batteries are already cold and who is next in line

Ukraine is ending the heating season ahead of schedule. It was the first in the country's history to be run solely on domestic gas, without purchasing natural gas from abroad. Batteries in a number of cities have already been turned off, with Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Lutsk and Dnipro starting to do so today, 28 March, and a number of other towns and cities to follow over the weekend, when a serious warming is expected.

As Oleksiy Chernyshov, the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine, explained, the war has affected gas consumption due to the occupation of territories and the shutdown of enterprises in the areas of active hostilities. However, Chernyshov is confident that Ukraine will have enough of its own gas even after the war.

"Ukraine's gas consumption will gradually increase, but our production rates are ahead of future consumption growth," said the head of Naftogaz. For example, in 2023, the company started drilling 150 new wells, which is a record for the last 6 years. The company managed to produce 18.7 billion cubic meters of gas over the year, which is 200 million cubic meters more than in 2022, according to Artem Petrenko, Executive Director of the Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine.

Where there is no heating anymore and where it will be cut off in the near future: a list

Usually, the heating season ends on April 15, but the final decisions are made by local authorities. On the other hand, the air temperature is important. However, this year, the batteries are being turned off in advance not only because of the warming, but also because of the desire to save energy amid Russian shelling.

Kherson was the first city to end the heating season on March 25. On March 26, Kharkiv, which has suffered the most from Russian strikes on the energy sector, joined in.

"The only possible measure to reduce the load on the power system is to end the heating season early. This is the only way to provide electricity to the maximum number of consumers and bring hot water to the homes of Kharkiv residents," said Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov.

On March 27, batteries were disconnected in Vinnytsia. Healthcare, education and social welfare institutions have remained connected to the heating system. The heating season in these institutions will end after statements from their heads.

• Kyiv: When will the heating season end?

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko has announced that the heating season in the capital is scheduled to end on March 28 due to the significant warming predicted by weather forecasters. "Therefore, starting from this Thursday, the city will begin the process of disconnecting buildings from heating," Klitschko said.

He reminded that Kyiv's centralized heating system is the largest in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe. Therefore, both its deployment and transition to summer mode require several days.

"With this in mind, we will start the shutdown process on March 28. The early completion of the heating season will allow the capital to save energy and not waste natural gas unnecessarily. And city residents will save money on heating bills," Klitschko said.

• Dnipro: when the heating will be turned off

The 2023-2024 heating season in Dnipro will also end on March 28. This decision was made due to an increase in the average daily air temperature.

At the same time, Andriy Klymenko, director of Teploenergo, said that the company is entering the off-heating period with a debt of UAH 1.5 billion owed by the city residents. "We are currently working to maximize the collection of payments for heat energy from debtors. We urge Dnipro residents to pay for heat. If you cannot pay the debt in full, you can sign a restructuring agreement," Klymenko reminded.

• Lviv to pause the heating season

In Lviv, the city decided to turn off the radiators starting March 28. However, schools, kindergartens and hospitals will continue to be supplied with heat. But in the event of a cold snap, the batteries will become warm again throughout the city.

• Mykolaiv: when the heating season ends

The next heating shutdown in Mykolaiv is scheduled for March 28. According to Ihor Nabatov, the first deputy director of housing and communal services, the batteries will remain warm for kindergartens, maternity hospitals, hospitals, and outpatient clinics without additional requests.

• Lutsk: decisions on the end of the heating season

Lutsk will end the heating season on March 28, but will remain ready to turn on radiators in hospitals in case of a cold snap. "The decision was made taking into account the predicted steady increase in temperature to prevent overheating of buildings and to save money for citizens and the need to use energy efficiently," said Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk.

• Kremenchuk disconnects batteries

The heating season for all consumers ends in Kremenchuk (Poltava region) on March 28. According to Vitaliy Maletskiy, the head of the city council, heating will also be turned off in medical institutions. In the event of a cold snap, they are advised to use other types of heating, such as electric radiators. In educational institutions, the radiators have been cold since March 23.

At the same time, the heating season is scheduled to end in Poltava and the district on April 1. The same date was chosen in Myrhorod.

• Ternopil: date of heating shutdown announced

Ternopil plans to end the heating season on Friday, March 29. The decision was made by the executive committee of the city council.

"Given the rising air temperature and in order to ensure the efficient use of energy, the heating season of 2023-2024 in Ternopil will end on March 29, 2024 at 00:00," the city council said. Those who use individual heating were also advised to turn off radiators at home and at enterprises from that date.

• Chernivtsi: what will happen to heating?

The process of shutting down the heating system in the city will begin on March 29. This decision was made at a meeting of the Chernivtsi executive committee. Officials explained the early shutdown by the noticeable warming.

• Zaporizhzhia: the end date of the heating season has been announced

The end of the heating season in Zaporizhzhia is scheduled for March 29. Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said that this decision was made due to the increase in the average daily temperature, which has been above 8 degrees Celsius for more than three days.

• Rivne region will have heat by the weekend

The heating season in some communities in Rivne region is ending ahead of schedule. In particular, on March 30 and 31, heating will be cut off in Dubrovytsia and Klesiv communities. In addition, the Korets and Krupets communities decided not to supply heat to schools due to school holidays.

• Uzhhorod: when will the heating be cut off?

The heating in Uzhhorod is scheduled to be turned off after the warm weekend, on April 1. If necessary, heat supply will continue in healthcare and educational institutions.

• Heating season in Chernihiv: when will it end?

In Chernihiv, the heating season will end on March 29, according to acting Mayor Oleksandr Lomak. According to him, the city will still have hot water supply after the heat. "We will not wait for three days of +8 average temperature, because we will have a sharp warming on Friday, March 29. On Friday, we will turn off the water supply. Because it's already +20 on Saturday and Sunday, Suspilne quoted Lomaka as saying.

• Ivano-Frankivsk to end heating season ahead of schedule

The heating season in Ivano-Frankivsk community will end on the night of March 29-30. "The situation with gas is not so simple. It was decided that the heating season will end from 29 to 30 March," said the mayor of the city, Ruslan Martsinkiv.

• Zhytomyr: when will the heating be cut off?

In Zhytomyr, the heating season ends on March 30. The decision was made at a meeting of the executive committee of the city council. The reason for turning off the heating was the air temperature.

"There is reason to believe that by the weekend, on March 30, the average daily temperature will be above 8 degrees Celsius, which means the end of the heating season. We have also received appeals from residents who do not want to pay extra money, even though boiler houses were turned off during the daytime when the temperature exceeded 8-10 degrees Celsius," said Oleksandr Martsun, head of the Zhytomyr City Council's communal services department.

• Other cities: when to expect a power outage

In some communities and regional centers, the decision to turn off the heating has not yet been made. For example, there is no such decision regarding Odesa. However, it is expected that the situation will change after March 29-31.

It is on these dates that a significant warming is predicted in Ukraine. According to the rules, heating is to be turned off when the average daily temperature outside exceeds +8 degrees Celsius for three days.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, tariffs for a number of utilities are expected to rise in Ukraine. The National Bank, in particular, predicts that heating and hot water will become more expensive. However, there is no exact timeframe for this yet - according to the forecast, the relevant moratorium can be expected to be lifted only after the end of martial law.

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