Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s energy sector has endured increasingly intense attacks targeting power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. The damage has affected communities across the country, with central and frontline regions hit particularly hard.

In Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Region, severe attacks in June and July 2025 caused substantial damage to social and critical infrastructure, affecting heating and power supply networks and leading to outages.

In the town of Samar, nearly 30,000 people rely on local heating network operator Samarteploenergo for heating services. Repeated disruptions placed significant pressure on the town’s heating system last winter, affecting schools, kindergartens, hospitals, administrative buildings and other essential public facilities.

In response to priorities identified by Ukrainian authorities, UNOPS will procure, install and commission combined heat and power units for Samarteploenergo, with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).

This will strengthen the resilience of the town’s centralized heating network, reduce its vulnerability to power outages, and support the continued delivery of essential public services under difficult conditions.

“Reliable public services are the foundation of recovery. This project will support Ukrainian institutions and local service providers in strengthening critical heating infrastructure – helping heating infrastructure to remain resilient through the winter while reinforcing nationally led recovery efforts,” said Massimo Diana, Director, UNOPS Multi-Country Office for Ukraine and East Europe.

“Above all, this [project] means giving people greater confidence that the community’s critical infrastructure will be better prepared to withstand emergency situations,” said Serhii Reznik, Mayor of Samar.