The area will not return to its natural state if Kakhovskaya HPP is not restored - "Ukrhydroenergo"

Ihor Sirota, director-general of Ukrhydroenerho, told Forbes about the importance of the hydropower plant and under what condition it can be not restored.

According to him, the Kakhovskaya HPP has solved many issues with water supply to different regions, so it is possible to talk about not restoring the plant after solving several technical issues.

The importance of the Kakhovskaya HPP lies in:

• Covering the water deficit in Kherson, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk oblasts, which depend on supplies from the Kakhovka reservoir. So far, there is no complete alternative to supply these oblasts with water.
• Correction of the loss of the irrigation system fed by the HPP. This is also important for water supply to Crimea after de-occupation.
• Provision of water to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
• Ensuring navigation on the Dnieper - now the depth of the Kakhovka reservoir reaches 2 metres, although it was 16 metres.

If we can solve these issues without restoring the Kakhovka HPP, then we can discuss whether it is expedient to build a hydroelectric power plant. However, now the HPP is the only solution to these problems," the director general of Ukrhydroenergo said.

He also added that if the HPP is not restored, the territory of the former Kakhovka reservoir will not return to its natural state, it will be a swampy area.

We shall remind you that Russian invaders blew up the Kaiovska HPP on the night of 6 June. Water from the reservoir poured down the course of the Dnieper and led to flooding in several settlements in the Kherson and Nikolaev regions. In total, about 20,000 houses were affected.