Manageability is predictability and stability
On February 18, 2026, during the online meeting of Energy Club «Technologies and solutions for energy security of communities», Kostyantyn Butenko, chief engineer of the engineering company PJSC «ELAKS», spoke. In his report, he focused exclusively on practical critical infrastructure automation solutions that allow communities to operate sustainably even in unstable energy supply environments.
1. Community autonomy — is not isolation, but controllability
The speaker emphasized that for critical infrastructure facilities (in particular, water supply), autonomy means the ability to work independently of the external risks of — accidents, outages or network overloads. The main goal of autonomy — is to give the community manageability, which, in turn, guarantees predictability and stability for people, as well as reduces the financial burden on the local budget.
From the experience of PJSC «ELAKS», real autonomy is based on three components:
- Comprehensive automation and dispatching.
- Backup and autonomous power supply.
- Energy-efficient control algorithms to reduce consumption and optimize costs.
2. Switching from «emergency mode» to a preemptive control system
Kostyantyn Butenko noted that many communities still work in reactive mode: they respond to accidents, face unpredictable stops, water strikes and need constant manual intervention. The company proposes to change this approach to a managed mode that includes monitoring, analytics, remote control and forecasting. The system should not work after the accident has occurred, but in advance of the problem.
3. Technological solutions for stability and economy
For the stable operation of the infrastructure (pumping and sewage stations, etc.), PJSC «ELAKS» implements:
- Frequency adjustment of pumps, which allows to reduce the number of water strikes, reduce starting currents, reduce energy consumption and generally reduce the accident rate.
- Reservation of control and power supply systems.
- Duplication of controllers for critical infrastructure nodes.
4. Practical experience and implemented cases in wartime conditions
All the company's solutions are implemented taking into account modern Ukrainian realities. Among the strategically important sites the team worked on:
- The first main water supply «Khortytsia» (Makiivka–Manganets): a critical facility for restoring the region's water supply after the destruction of infrastructure.
- The second main water pipeline to the city of Mykolaiv: implementation of automation systems of pumping stations, dispatching and power distribution.
- Heat supply facilities (in particular, Kharkiv heat networks): modernization of central heat points, boiler houses, pumping stations and auxiliary equipment.
Reference: PJSC «ELAKS» — is an engineering company with more than 30 years of experience in the field of complex automation. Her portfolio includes more than 1,000 implemented projects, of which more than 200 — are critical infrastructure facilities.
