According to Ukrhydroenergo, which Kakhovka Hydropower Plant is a subdivision of, the station blown up by the Russian occupiers was completely destroyed and cannot be restored. The construction of the new hydroelectric power station will last at least five years, provided that Ukrainian specialists work 24/7.
The Russian media is massively spreading disinformation about the possibility of quickly restoring the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. Referring to collaborator Volodymyr Saldo’s statement, the pro-Kremlin media claim that the Kakhovskaya HPP dam, blown up by the Russian military, can be repaired in about a year. Russian media also writes that all calculations and project documentation for the construction of the new Kakhovka HPP are already there and they only need to retrieve the Soviet archives.
“Restoring the Kakhovka HPP dam is possible, its hydrotechnical capabilities are still preserved… The actual restoration, implementation of hydrotechnical works, construction, of course, will not take a month or two. There is a technological cycle that needs to be followed. According to the calculations of experts, it takes about a year from the start to the restoration of the Kakhovka Dam in the amount needed to maintain the water balance. But something tells me that under such conditions we will do it faster,” Russian media quoted Volodymyr Saldo as saying.
The Russian media used a quote from Volodymyr Saldo, a Kremlin puppet, a supporter of the occupiers and a collaborator, to create disinformation news. The Russian authorities appointed him as the Kherson region governor – a fictitious body. His position has nothing to do with the official Ukrainian authorities. Therefore, Saldo’s statements a priori cannot be considered a reliable source of information.
Russian statements about restoring the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant dam in a year do not correspond to reality, are incompetent and look amateur. According to the company Ukrhydroenergo, which owns the Kakhovska HPP, the station blown up by the Russian occupiers has been completely destroyed and cannot be restored. According to Ukrhydroenergo General Director Ihor Syrota, the construction of the new station will take at least five years, provided Ukrainian specialists work 24/7.
“It will cost at least a billion dollars, minimum. We still do not know exactly the nature of the destruction, because not only the station was destroyed, but also road and railway crossings, water and gas supply. This is a complex water node, which will take time to restore. But already today with the design institute, we are working out the options for placing the station on the same dam, we will just determine whether it will be on the right or left bank,” Syrota emphasized (see video from 02:32).
As of June 14, as Syrota reported, Ukrhydroenergo together with the project institute has already started developing the project of the bridge to cover and restore the Kakhovka reservoir. The bridge will enable experts to drain the area around the remains of hydroelectric structures, examine the consequences of the Russians’ detonation of the Kakhovskaya HPP. After that, it will be possible to dismantle the ruins of the station and start building a new facility. According to preliminary estimates, Syrota said, it will take about a year to build the bridge and dismantle the old station. That is why Russia’s statements about “quickly restorating the station” are completely untrue.
In addition, Russian statements about the calculations and project documentation for the construction of the new Kakhovka HPP being ready in the Soviet archives are populist. Ukraine will not use old Soviet calculations and methods to restore the hydroelectric power plant. Nowadays legislative approaches and principles of constructing hydrotechnical structures have changed, new technologies have emerged and materials have improved. European approaches in the field of water policy and environmental protection will also be taken into account while constructing the new dam.
Besides, it is worth noting that similar works at hydropower plants in Russia itself took at least five years. In 2009, a man-made disaster occurred at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP (Russia). As a result of the hydraulic unit destruction, the machine room of the station and the technical premises under it were flooded. The restoration of the station lasted five and a half years and was completed only in November 2014. This fact once again emphasizes the incompetence of Russian statements about the possibility of “quick” restoration of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, completely destroyed by the occupiers.
Blowing up the Kakhovka HPP is a Russian act of terrorism, a violation of the laws and customs of war, and a crime against the Ukrainian civilian population. Read more about this in the StopFake stories “It collapsed on its own” – Five Russian media fakes about the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and Fake: Kakhovka Dam Explosion Captured on Video.
