The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station is a run-of-river power plant on the Dnieper River in Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine. Nova Kakhovka is a port city located on the reservoir's southern bank. The primary purposes of the dam are hydroelectric power generation, irrigation and navigation. It is the 6th and the last dam in the Dnieper reservoir cascade. The deep water channel allows shipping up and down river.[1] The facility also includes a winter garden.

Kakhovka Dam
The dam's spillway
Location of Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine
Official name	Kakhovska HPS
Location	Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine
Coordinates	46°46′34.12″N 33°22′17.44″E
Purpose	Power, irrigation, navigation
Status	Operational
Construction began	September 1950
Opening date	1956; 66 years ago (1956)
Owner(s)	Energy Company of Ukraine
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Earth-fill embankment with gravity sections
Impounds	Dnieper River
Height	30 m (98 ft)
Length	3,273 m (10,738 ft)
Reservoir
Creates	Kakhovka Reservoir
Total capacity	18,180×10^6 m3 (14,738,766 acre⋅ft)
Surface area	2,155 km2 (832 sq mi)
Power Station
Operator(s)	Ukrhydroenergo
Commission date	1955–1956
Turbines	3 x 58.5, 3 x 60.5 MW propeller
Installed capacity	357 MW
Annual generation	1.4 TWh

The P47 road and a railway cross the Dnieper River on the dam.[2]

The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant had 241 staff in October 2015. The director is Yaroslav Kobelya from September 2012. As of 2019, the dam was profitable bringing 6.1 million UAH to local government budgets and 44.6 million UAH to the national income.[1]

Dam

The dam has an associated lock and a power station with an installed capacity of 357 MW. Water from Kakhovka Reservoir is cooling the 5.7 GW Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and also sent via the North Crimean Canal and Dnieper–Kryvyi Rih Canal to irrigate large areas of southern Ukraine and northern Crimea. Construction on the dam began in September 1950. The last generator was commissioned in October 1956.[3] It is operated by Ukrhydroenergo.[4][5]

Starting in 2019 significant repairs and expansion were made to the facility.[6][1]

A panorama of the Kakhovka Reservoir and the hydroelectric power station

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, the power plant was captured by Russian forces during the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine.[7] During weeks of artillery attacks by Ukraine in August and September, Ukrainian and Russian officials reported that the facility's ability to transport vehicles had been degraded,[8][9] but the dam itself retained structural integrity.[10]

In mid-October 2022, news reports suggested that Russians may be planning to blow up the dam to slow down the Ukrainian counter offensive in the region.[11][12][13][14]

On 12 November, The Daily Mail reported that a sabotage operation was executed by Russian soldiers dressed as civilians. The article provides purported CCTV footage of the moment the dam exploded. According to the article, "The video will be seen as evidence of deliberate destruction by the Russians as they withdraw from key locations in Kherson."^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Hydroelectricity in Ukraine
• FC Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka
• Dnipriany River Port

References

Further reading

• Kosilin, Yu. M. (1 February 1975). "Seminars on Advanced Experience with Hydroelectric Plant Operation". Hydrotechnical Construction. 9 (2): 170–173. doi:10.1007/BF02378458. ISSN 1570-1468. S2CID 110781794.

• Éidel'man, S. Ya. (1 December 1982). "On-site observations of the concrete structures of the Kakhovka hydroelectric station". Hydrotechnical Construction. 16 (12): 657–663. doi:10.1007/BF01425151. ISSN 1570-1468. S2CID 111117866.

На других языках

[fr] Centrale hydroélectrique de Kakhovka

[ru] Каховская ГЭС