In autumn 2025, as part of the company’s energy efficiency improvement strategy, a 1 MW gas piston power plant (GPP) was launched. This is the largest investment in the company’s modernisation in recent years, which will ensure a stable, affordable and autonomous power supply regardless of external factors. The total cost of preparatory work and equipment amounted to approximately 1.5 million conventional units.
Why gas generation?
Gas is an economically viable energy resource. The cost of electricity generated by a gas piston generator is significantly lower than market rates. Meanwhile, solar energy covers only a small portion of production needs, and diesel generators are too costly for continuous operation.
“The cogeneration plant we launched is the result of almost a year of preparation. We started the project in approximately October–November 2024. In addition to the electrical part, the contractors also implemented the thermal part: a new heat pipeline was built from the cogeneration plant to the boiler work house, and a connection to the existing network was made. This allows us to use not only electricity, but also heat, which would otherwise simply be released into the air”, – says Chief Power Engineer Viktor Petrovych Tikhonov.
Heating as a bonus:
“We have provided for the possibility of using the heat generated by the installation to heat office and production premises. We start the installation twice a day: at the times when electricity is most expensive on the market. This allows us to optimise costs: we supply heat to workshops, offices and administrative premises, ensuring comfort for employees”.
A monitoring system has been installed in the chief power engineer’s office, which allows real-time tracking of the generator’s performance: power, temperature, pressure, etc.
“At the outlet of the cogeneration plant, we have a temperature of 70°C. This heat is fed into the heating system, then moves through the boiler work house and enters the premises. In the evening hours (from 5 p.m.), the market price of electricity is approximately 15 UAH/kWh (excluding VAT and surcharges). Such electricity reaches the consumer at 20 UAH/kWh. But our own generation, converted to gas, costs us 5–6 UAH/kWh, depending on the cost of gas. And that’s just for electricity. The heat we get on top of that is basically free. We’re saving more than twice as much”.
Also in November, another important element of the energy system was installed at the enterprise — an electricity storage facility for the administrative building with a capacity of 232 kWh and a power of 115 kW. This will ensure the energy independence of the offices: in the case of a power outage, the system will instantly switch to backup power.
KYIVGUMA LLC can fully provide itself with light and heat. The enterprise is currently a kind of “point of invincibility” for every KYIVGUMA team’s employee. As of the end of 2025, the enterprise has a 760 kW solar power plant and eight diesel generators in operation.
The company also purchased 400,000 cubic metres of gas for the winter, which is stored at the supplier’s storage.
The company’s management is not stopping there and continues to invest in ensuring energy independence. Work is currently underway to install suspended structures over two car parking lots, which will house new solar panels.
In addition, at the beginning of 2026, a 1 MW electricity storage facility with a capacity of 2 MWh will be delivered and installed, which will operate in conjunction with a cogeneration plant.
“Currently, our gas generator works in conjunction with a diesel generator. We want to install a large storage facility with a capacity of 1 MW and a capacity of 2 MWh. It will replace the diesel generator and provide a smoother transition for the entire enterprise”, – notes the Chief Power Engineer.
