The public utility Termokos will open the heating season on October 15, as usual. Spokesperson Afërdita Uka told KosovaPress that preparations had been completed on time and that only the final equipment tests were currently being carried out.
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More than 25,000 consumers are connected to the Termokos network. Supply will begin gradually, with the aim of maintaining system stability and preventing possible technical damage.
During the summer months, the necessary work was carried out on the network and heating equipment. According to Uka, the equipment was cleaned, valves were replaced, and problems observed in the circulation of heating during the previous season were addressed. Once testing is completed, Termokos is expected to receive the first quantities of steam from KEK for the production and distribution of heating energy.
Regarding the expansion of the network, Uka explained that no major increase in the number of consumers is expected this year. Broader expansion will be carried out through capital projects, while for now only individual connections have been made for new buildings where thermal capacity has made this possible.
Projects to expand the heating network, supported by international donors and co-financed by Termokos, were completed last year. Since the end of the previous season, the utility has received individual requests from residential buildings and institutions that can be supplied through existing capacity.
Through the Solar 4 Kosovo project and other initiatives aimed at increasing capacity, the network is expected to be extended to neighborhoods of Pristina that have not previously been part of the system. More than 8,600 new consumers are expected to benefit from Solar 4 Kosovo alone.
Heating tariffs are not set by Termokos, but by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO). The utility submits periodic reports to the institution, based on which the tariffs are calculated, while it is currently awaiting a decision on the new prices.
Uka recalled that last year, unlike electricity and water, which saw price increases, heating services were the only ones to receive a tariff reduction. Once the ERO approves the tariffs, Termokos will only have to implement them.
The utility cannot completely rule out the possibility of interruptions during the season, despite the work and investments carried out. The network extends for 180 kilometers across Pristina and includes more than 800 heating substations at the entrances of residential buildings, making it impossible to guarantee that no technical problems will occur.
According to the spokesperson, a large portion of the old pipes has been replaced with new, prefabricated pipes meeting high safety standards. Emergency teams and specialized teams for each neighborhood through which the network runs have been assigned. In the event of pipe damage, a water leak or another fault, they will intervene as quickly as possible to eliminate the problem and restore the heating supply.
