A year has passed since the tragedy at Kakhovskaya HPP: the station will be able to be restored seven years after complete de-occupation (video)

A year ago, on June 6, 2023, the dams of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region were destroyed as a result of an explosion. This caused large-scale flooding of settlements near the Dnipro River, numerous human casualties, and serious environmental consequences affected the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Kakhovskaya HPP was the fifth largest in Ukraine and the largest in shallow water area. The destroyed dam became the biggest man-made disaster in Europe since Chernobyl.

General Director of “Ukrhydroenergo” Ihor Syrota emphasized on significant losses for the energy sector of Ukraine.

“Speaking as a whole in terms of the Ukrainian energy system, 343.2 MW of installed capacity was lost as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP. In addition, 192 MW of regulating power needed for operational balancing of the UES of Ukraine was lost. The lowering of the Kakhovsky reservoir and, as a result, the decrease in the level of the lower reservoir of the Dnipro HPP led to unfavorable operating modes and periodic power restrictions on the units of the Dnipro HPP-1 and HPP-2, as well as to the introduction of restrictions on the operation of other HPPs of the Dnipro Cascade“, – explained the Orphan.

Impressive consequences

The flooding led to numerous casualties. According to information According to the independent international commission of the UN, as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP in the territories under the control of Ukraine, 33 people died, 28 were injured and more than 40 people are considered missing. It is impossible to accurately determine the consequences of this disaster on the territories that are temporarily occupied. The environmental consequences are also dire. Thousands of animals died, unique ecosystems were destroyed. The draining of the Kakhovsky Reservoir led to the mass death of fish and other aquatic organisms, which negatively affected the biodiversity of the region. In addition, the destruction of the dam caused losses to Ukraine in the amount of almost $14 billion.

Restoration

Currently, the development of plans for the restoration of the Kakhovsky hydroelectric plant is underway. This is a complex and lengthy process that requires significant financial and technical resources.

“According to preliminary calculations, it is possible to rebuild the station in 6-7 years, but before that, as I already mentioned, it is necessary that the territory be deoccupied, and then we will be able to drain the place where the explosion took place, carry out a survey, dismantle the destroyed buildings and structures of the Kakhovsky hydroelectric unit. And then proceed to the direct reconstruction of the station. It is still difficult to say what it will be, since currently, without an examination, we do not know how critical the situation is with the structures themselves and the erosion of the bottom.”, – said General Director of “Ukrhydroenergo” Ihor Syrota.

Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration noted that scientists are actively working on the Kakhovskaya HPP restoration project. According to his estimates, the construction of the new station will take at least five years and will require investments in the amount of 1 to 2 billion euros.