Zaporizhzhia's Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant lost about a third of its generation capacity after a Russian missile strike, the head of Ukrainian state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota told the Associated Press.
Ukraine's largest hydroelectric power plant was hit with eight Russian missiles on March 22 during the biggest attack on the country's energy infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The Hydroelectric Power Station-2 (HPS-2), one of the two stations of Zaporizhzhia's Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, is in "critical condition" as two Russian missiles hit it directly, damaging crane girders and a support pillar, Syrota said earlier.
The adjacent dam also suffered damage, but there was no danger of a breach, according to Ukrhydroenergo's head.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
Syrota said the loss of a part of Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant generation capacity led to “significant loss for the Ukrainian energy system.”
The scale of damage to the plant remains unclear as its equipment has been buried under concrete and metal debris from the explosions, Syrota said, adding that the repairs will be a “long process.”
Power engineers managed to restore some of the equipment at Dnipro hydroelectric power plant, but the plant is not generating electricity, the Energy Ministry's statement reads.
The recent Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia reportedly killed three people, including a child. At least 29 people were wounded, including two children, according to State Emergency Service.
Russian forces also targeted Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and other regions, primarily aiming at the energy infrastructure. Ukraine's defense systems reportedly downed 92 of 151 Russian aerial targets overnight.
Olena Goncharova
(Updated: )
