Heating season starts in Kyiv

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Monday the heating season is starting in the Ukrainian capital city, as the average temperature is dropping steadily.

Meteorologists predict a steady drop in temperature in Kyiv starting tomorrow, Mr Klitschko posted on his Telegram channel, adding that residential buildings will be connected to the heating system.

The Kyiv mayor warned that it would take several days to launch the city’s centralised heating system, which stretches over 3,000 kilometres and is one of the largest in Europe.

"Therefore, the decision to start the heating season is fully justified, because the cold snap would have led to the massive use of electric heaters by Kyiv residents and overloaded the power supply system," Mr Klitschko said.

"All the capital’s services responsible for the start and passage of the heating season are working in an enhanced mode to provide Kyiv residents with the necessary services."

Overall in Ukraine, more than 99 percent of Ukraine’s housing and communal facilities are ready for the heating season, the infrastructure ministry said last week.

Ukraine has accumulated 15.75 billion cubic metres of gas in underground gas storage facilities to last through the heating season, Naftogaz said.