Dam Design and Construction

Ihor Syrota: 2023 ‘one of the most difficult years in the history of modern hydropower’

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Ihor Syrota: 2023 ‘one of the most difficult years in the history of modern hydropower’

The year 2023 was “one of the most difficult years in the history of modern hydropower,” according to Ihor Syrota, general director of Ukrainian utility Ukrhydroenergo.

This was the second year since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the country by Russian military forces. The undermining and destruction of the structures of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power project in June is a terrorist act and ecocide, which was a heavy blow for Ukrainians, Syrota said.

Despite all the challenges, Ukrhydroenergo continued to cover peak loads and balance the country’s unified energy system, rescue the system during blackouts, and fulfill all financial obligations to the state and Ukrainians, Syrota said. The hydropower company “continued to work under missile fire in order to ensure the reliable functioning of Ukraine’s energy system, we became a lifeline for Ukraine’s energy system during blackouts.”

Ukrhydroenergo’s strategy for 2023 “was and remains restoration and protection,” Syrota said. “The past year has taught us to act harmoniously and effectively, even in the most difficult situations. Ukrhydroenergo lost 2,500 MW of power due to missile attacks and the undermining of the Kakhovskaya HPP by the Russians. To date, we have managed to restore about 1,500 MW. We have done a lot to secure our facilities and protect them as much as possible. We carried out major and current repairs, equipment reconstruction. A number of works have already been carried out and we continue to work on the protection of stations. This is done primarily to protect our employees and equipment.”

With the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP, “the most resonant event of 2023,” Ukrhydroenergo lost a station with a capacity of 343.2 MW and about 1.5 billion to 2 billion kWh of electricity, which the station produced on average for the power system per year until October 2022. The company also lost maneuvering capacity to regulate peak loads, in particular, in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

For Ukraine as a whole, the water supply of cities and villages suffered the greatest consequences, due to the loss of 35% of Ukraine’s fresh water supply, Syrota said. “For ecology, this means the erosion of fertile soils, desertification, the emergence of a new ecosystem, a change in the system of flora and fauna, and the loss of a bridgehead for spawning grounds.”

In July, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Resolution on the implementation of an experimental project on the construction of the Kakhova hydroelectric power plant and reconstruction after the destruction. The experimental project consists of two stages. First, the design of structures as part of the preparatory measures of the Kakhovsky hydroelectric unit, as well as the design and construction of a support structure in the lower bay of the Dnipro hydroelectric power station, were foreseen. “Immediately after the deoccupation, we are ready to start the implementation of the second stage,” Syrota said. It provides for the survey, dismantling of the destroyed buildings and structures of the Kakhovsky hydroelectric plant, development of the project for the construction of the Kakhovskaya HPP, as well as the construction of temporary dams of the upper and lower reaches of the Kakhovsky hydroelectric plant.

“Our company does not stand still. A strategic approach and perspective are important to us,” he said. Ukrhydroenergo has signed a number of memorandums with international companies regarding the construction of hydroelectric power plants in Ukraine and continues cooperation with European banks on providing assistance in the restoration and modernization of the company’s hydroelectric power plants.