Ukraine needs $6.3 billion to harden 3,000 critical infrastructure sites

Kuleba said more than 3,000 critical infrastructure sites need hardening with concrete shelters. Implementing the resilience plans developed by local authorities based on the experience of last winter will require more than EUR5.4 billion ($6.3 billion).

“At its core are resilience plans for regions and communities that cover infrastructure protection, distributed generation, water, and heating,” said Kuleba.

“The scale of the challenge is significant. More than 3,000 critical infrastructure sites need protection. Overall, implementing energy resilience plans requires more than EUR5.4 billion. We are also developing distributed generation with a target of 4 gigawatts. At the same time, we are deploying modular heating solutions — more than 5 gigawatts of additional capacity.”

According to Kuleba, the energy resilience plans cover protection of critical infrastructure, development of distributed generation, uninterrupted water supply and sewage services, and reliable heating. The goal is to build a new, decentralized, and flexible system that will operate for decades.

He said that physical hardening has proven effective: some key power grid nodes covered with protective shelters withstood 40 direct hits from drones and missiles and remained operational.