The Dnieper 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 Dnieper 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 Dnieper 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, Dnieper HPP-2 is in critical condition, Dnieper 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.
A video circulating on social media shows what appears to be a Russia missile moving toward the plant at high speed, before a powerful explosion rocks the facility.
Built in the early days of the Soviet Union during a period of large-scale industrialization, the Dnieper hydroelectric plant is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the region and is a crucial source of energy for Kiev.
On Friday, Ukrainian officials said Moscow had launched dozens of missiles and drones targeting the country’s energy infrastructure in one of the most powerful barrages in weeks, causing widespread blackouts. The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said several mines in Dnepropetrovsk Region and part of Kiev-controlled territory in Russia’s Donetsk Region had been cut off from electricity. It added that more than 1,000 people are trapped underground but that their lives are not in danger.