It will take about a week to clear the debris at the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant damaged by Russians. After that, the consequences of the shelling will be assessed, Ukrhydroenergo CEO Ihor Syrota has told the news telethon.
According to Syrota, electrical equipment and hydraulic units were damaged, and their repair will take a long time. In particular, it takes 9-12 months to manufacture customised electrical equipment (mostly European and global production), and 18-24 months to restore the hydraulic units in general. In addition, it takes time to rebuild the engine room itself.
"Today we cannot clear all the rubble, as both the ceiling and the walls with crane beams have leaned towards the engine room. We need to dismantle the upper part of the machine hall to get to the lower part," said Syrota.
The situation at the dam itself is under control. There is no threat of a breach. Overall, it will take years to restore the power plant, and it is currently out of operation.
On the morning of 22 March, following Russian attacks on the Dnipro HPP, vehicle traffic was blocked across the dam. Ukrhydroenergo stressed that there was no threat of a dam breach after the attack.
A Russian missile hit a trolleybus moving across the Dnipro HPP dam. There were civilians on board.
As a result of the hit to the hydroelectric power plant, soil was contaminated and oil products leaked into the Dnipro River.