Water at the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant has dropped to a critical level, threatening the station's full operational capacity, the state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo reported on July 24.
The water level is now at 12.05 meters, while the plant requires 12-12.5 meters for full functioning, Ukrhydroenergo wrote on Telegram.
The company is now searching for feasible solutions to ensure that the plant can operate at full capacity.
After Russian forces destroyed the occupied Kakhovka power station and the adjacent dam on June 6, the Dnipro River upstream from the dam experienced significant drops in water levels.
This affected not only the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in the city of Zaporizhzhia but also the Kakhovka Reservoir, which is a crucial water source for southern Ukraine and for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The breach further caused massive flooding and a large-scale humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in the southern regions of the country.
As Ukrhydroenergo noted, the reconstruction of the Kakhovka dam can be carried out only after a proper examination of the damage caused by the Russian sabotage.
The company added that preparations for a "difficult period" in the following fall and winter are underway.
Daria Shulzhenko
