Ukraine will build a new power plant on the site of the destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant located on the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River once it liberates the territory, head of Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota said on June 6.
"Hydrostructures are being eroded, and we understand that we will have to build a new station very quickly. We will build a more beautiful and powerful station in the same place," he said on national television, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda media outlet.
According to the official, Ukrhydroenergo was already consulting with experts on how to quickly block the dam after the liberation.
The company also examines how to establish water supply from the reservoirs located up the river to the Ukrainian regions that will suffer from water shortages, said Syrota.
For now, Ukrainian authorities plan to drill additional wells in Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts to access fresh water, he added.
Martin Fornusek
Russian forces destroyed the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant's dam across the Dnipro River on the morning of June 6, sparking a large-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.
Built in 1956, the power plant is crucial to Ukraine's energy infrastructure. According to Ukraine's state hydroelectric power company, the damage caused by the breach is "impossible to repair."
Around 16,000 people's homes in Kherson Oblast are reportedly located in "critical risk" zones for flooding.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry reported that 1339 residents had been evacuated from the affected settlements as of 16:00 p.m. local time.
According to preliminary information, 13 regional settlements on the Kyiv-controlled west bank of the Dnipro River and more than 260 houses have been flooded.
The city of Kherson and other settlements in the oblast on the Dnipro River's west bank were liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022. Russian forces were pushed to the river's east bank.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
