About 500 MW of RES generation in Ukraine could get disconnected from electricity grid due to Kakhovka HPP disaster - official

MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) - The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant (HPP) and the ensuing flooding of large areas has caused, according to preliminary estimates, damage of at least 500 MW of capacities of renewable energy sources (RES) in the Nikolayev region and part of the Kherson region controlled by Kiev, Artyom Semenishin, head of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine, said.

"According to preliminary estimates, at least 500 MW of generating capacities from the renewable energy sources in the Kherson and Nikolayev regions, taking into account the large hydropower industry, were fully or partially damaged or are yet unable to supply electricity to the grid," Semenishin said in an interview with Ukrainian media outlets.

In the first place, the generation capacities included the 334 MW capacity of the Kakhovka HPP itself which cannot be restored, as well as varying degrees of damage due to the flooding of over 150 MW of solar power plants, including about 130 MW of commercial ground-based solar power plants, he said.

"The high water inflicted enormous damage to some active solar power plants in the south. The prolonged stay of panel and transformation equipment under water results in significant damage of generating capacities or a threat of their breakdown in the future," Semenishin said.

Additionally, the shutdown of electricity substations due to the flooding makes it impossible for other network solar power plants to generate capacities, and it also causes significant losses for Ukraine, which is forced to import electricity today, he said.

"Of course, all damage can be accurately calculated much later, but it is already clear that this disaster had a considerable impact on renewable energy in Ukraine as well," he said.

As reported, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said that two commercial solar power stations in the Nikolayev region were damaged following the Kakhovka HPP disaster. Igor Sirota, director general of the Ukrhydroenergo energy company, said that it would take at least one billion euros and five years to build a new HPP in place of the fully destroyed Kakhovka one.