Oleksandr Kubrakov tells about the construction of protective structures at power facilities, development of railway and road infrastructure

During a meeting of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine, Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov told about the energy sector in terms of the construction of protective structures at some facilities, development of railway and road infrastructure, and export logistics.

Energy sector. The Restoration Agency is working to build drone and missile shields at 22 substations. Most of them have already been equipped with anti-drone shelters, which has allowed several frontline regions to still have electricity despite daily attacks.

In total, Ukraine has 90 main substations covering an area of 10 to 45 hectares, as well as tens of thousands of smaller substations.

He emphasized that there were no ready-made solutions for protecting energy facilities in the world, except for air defense. The construction projects Ukraine is currently implementing were developed together with the Ukrainian, American, British, Japanese, and German military and energy companies from scratch. Before starting construction, they were coordinated with the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the State Emergency Service and Ukrenergo.

The construction of Type III missile defense facilities requires additional funding. Together with the Government team, we are looking for and attracting international technical assistance - grants and affordable loans - to restore electricity generation and transportation.

In parallel, alternative sources are being worked out, such as gas turbine power plants and cogeneration units. We understand the number, need, sites for placement, projected capacity and cost.

Heat supply. The russian strategy to destroy generation creates a new challenge for district heating companies - to cover the consumers served by CHP plants and redesign the system, to the extent possible, before the start of the 2024/2025 heating season. The focus is on modernization and decentralization of capacities.

Railways. In March, Ukrzaliznytsia transported a record 16 million tonnes of cargo and more than 2 million passengers. We see growth trends, despite the daily attacks on infrastructure. At the same time, we are working to localize the production of rolling stock for UZ. 66 new passenger cars and more than 500 freight cars will be built in Ukraine. Together with our American partners, we are working on an agreement to finance the purchase of 40 diesel locomotives. Just yesterday, we announced the start of work on the construction of a European gauge railway connecting Uzhhorod and Chop.

Exports by the Black Sea and through the Danube ports. We are steadily approaching the 2021 figures. In the first quarter of this year, transshipment in seaports amounted to almost 28 million tonnes of cargo of various types. At the same time, we are working to modernize the fleet of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company.

This year, the road sector lacks the necessary funding. Even in the frontline regions, where we are primarily talking about military logistics and evacuation, only operational maintenance is possible.