The extent of the damage to the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant still requires thorough assessment, but it is already known that it will take years to restore the station.
"We already understand that Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant will be out of order for a long time. At the moment, we cannot tell in detail what and how much damage has been done, but we already understand that it will take years to restore the station to the state it was in before the missile strike," said Ihor Syrota, CEO of Ukrhydroenergo.
According to him, it is currently impossible to clear all the debris at the station because both the ceilings and the walls with overhead beams have tilted towards the turbine hall. It is necessary to dismantle the upper part of the turbine hall to access the lower part.
"On Saturday, March 23, we held a meeting with the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration to involve the State Emergency Service experts with dismantling equipment in the elimination of the consequences," commented the CEO.
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As he noted, the situation on the DniproHES dam itself is under control, and there is no threat of breach.
"The dam itself is not damaged as of today. Only the overhead beams located on the dam and the bridge crossing have been damaged," Syrota stated.
He added that Ukrhydroenergo specialists, together with relevant services, will try to restore the bridge crossing as quickly as possible.
As the CEO explained, Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant was the largest station in the Dnieper Cascade, and after the missile strike, the country's power system lost 1,000 MW of maneuvering capacity.
It was reported that Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant suspended its operation due to a massive Russian attack on the morning of March 22. Moreover, part of the station, namely Hydroelectric Power Plant 2, is in critical condition due to direct missile hits.
