Parts of the Ukraine-controlled facility are in critical condition, the head of the Ukrhydroenergo operating company has said
The Dnepr Hydro Power Plant (HPP), a vital source of energy for Ukraine, has been severely damaged following a massive wave of Russian strikes, the head of the facility’s operating company said on Friday.
The Dnepr HPP, located in the Kiev-controlled city of Zaporozhye, is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the region. It was directly hit by two Russian missiles, the head of operator Ukrhydroenergo, Igor Sirota, claimed an interview with Radio Svoboda, a branch of the US-funded RFE/RL.
Zaporozhye Region voted to join Russia in the fall of 2022, although parts of the region are still held by Ukrainian troops.
The Ukrhydroenergo head offered a grim assessment of the situation at the Dnepr facility, saying “we are losing the plant.” He added that the second unit of the plant had been hit, and that “the support has been damaged… In other words, Dnepr HPP-2 is in critical condition, Dnepr HPP-1 is not operational either.”
Ukrhydroenergo is currently assessing the extent of the damage to the second unit, but a fire has complicated those efforts, Sirota added. It is clear at this point that the entire main generator hall and electrical equipment will need to be restored, he claimed, although he said there is no danger of a dam breach.
Sirota reported that no one was killed in the Russian strikes on the facility, although Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said there was one casualty.
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