630 kVA Generator für Kramatorsk

630 kVA Generator for Kramatorsk

We are pleased to report that Pro Ukraina was contacted via the contact form on this website regarding an somewhat older emergency power generator with very few operating hours, which has been maintained in an exemplary manner but no longer fulfils the Swiss Clean Air Act. It will continue to provide valuable services in Ukraine.

Background

The Russian Federation continues to target Ukraine's critical infrastructure. The Ukrainian energy authority is repeatedly forced to switch off the power supply for hours at a time, either to save energy or as a preventive measure because Russian bombers are in the air.

The upcoming autumn and winter months will further exacerbate the situation. This situation is particularly devastating for medical facilities.

The 18-tonne generator offered to us free of charge, which is designed for disaster relief, has its own cable reels and an integrated diesel tank. The machine can be towed to a settlement or a hospital. All that is needed there is to unroll the cables, start the diesel and the emergency power supply is up and running. The generator can either be operated separately or feed additional power into the grid in parallel operation.

In this respect, it is ideally suited to securing critical infrastructure. It can also be evacuated quickly in the event of a further advance by Russian troops.

Request from the city of Kramatorsk/ Donetsk Oblast

The frontline town of Kramatorsk became sadly famous as a result of the Russian rocket fire on 8 April 2022, when numerous civilians waiting to be evacuated died on the railway station square. Among them were women, children and elderly people.

Documentation from RadioFreeEurope/ RadioLiberty:

Now the energy department of the Kramatorsk city administration has asked us whether we could make this generator available to the city.

It is used for a microrayon called "Lazurnyj", in which there are also points for medical care. The term "micro" is misleading and only fits in the context of this huge country. The district consists of 96 blocks of flats, in which 13,600 inhabitants still live.

On the right-hand side is an image of the official application from Kramatorsk.

Implementation

Our partner CAMZ has carefully evaluated where this generator can be used most effectively. Although there is no shortage of potential locations, an operator must also have the necessary diesel reserves. As this is the case in Kramatorsk, the application was approved.

SECO unceremoniously confirmed conformity with the ‘Dual Use’ regulation, which is why the generator was allowed to be shipped to Ukraine without an export licence.

The generator was tested and the brakes refurbished for the long journey to the Ukraine. The donor upgraded the old Swiss brakes to the EU standard at his own expense.

It quickly became apparent that in Switzerland, lorry trailers are covered by the insurance of the towing vehicle and do not require separate liability insurance. Not so in the EU. With an EU or UA lorry as the towing vehicle, the generator would not have been insured during its journey. In the end, the simplest solution was therefore to commission a Swiss haulage company to transport it. This was a lot more expensive than if a Ukrainian company had done it. However, it was the simplest legal solution and the costs were absolutely justified in view of the value of the machine.

Underway to the border crossing at Kreuzlingen/ Konstanz

It was not an option to transport the generator on a low-loader - the entire load train would have been far too high and would have had to overcome even greater hurdles as a special transport.

The blue TG number for agricultural vehicles could easily be exchanged for an export number plate at the road traffic office in Frauenfeld.

The generator is now in Kramatorsk, where it supplies the boiler house of the Mikrorayon Lazurniy and all it's burners and pumps with electricity.

Karmatorsk: first impressions and start-up

Click here for the full story with lots of interesting details:

In use: district heating centre for 13,600 people in the Lazurnyj microrayon

Support possibilities

We organised and financed the transport of this generator to Ukraine with the help of donations. It began supporting the critical infrastructure of 13,600 people as soon as it arrived.

Any donation for further such transports, regardless of the amount, is welcome, has an immediate effect and can be deducted from tax.