Ukrhydroenergo’s leadership, joined by a representative of the Ministry of Energy, personally visited one of the company’s hydroelectric power plants to see firsthand how turbine operation and the construction of protective structures can run simultaneously. The working site visit, announced by the company on November 11, confirmed that HPP protection is now carried out in parallel with generation — without taking equipment offline.
Visit highlights:
- The plant was visited by Deputy Minister of Energy Andriy Chotchikov and Ukrhydroenergo CEO Bohdan Sukhetskyi.
- They inspected key nodes of hydropower generating equipment and ongoing production processes.
- Progress on restoration work and construction of new protective structures was reviewed.
- Hydropower remains the second-largest source of generation in Ukraine, after nuclear.
What Was Inspected at the Plant
The specific location was not disclosed in the company’s statement — a practice that has become standard for Ukrainian generation facilities for security reasons.
Two Parallel Tasks: Generate and Protect
The central point made by Deputy Minister Chotchikov during the visit was clear: wartime forces the industry to find engineering solutions under compressed timelines and implement them while turbines keep running. Design, approval, and construction are now progressing almost in sync rather than sequentially, as would be the case in peacetime. This approach allows Ukraine to maintain its megawatts in the grid balance.
We have previously covered Ukrenergo’s position on maintaining the share of renewable energy sources — hydropower is an integral part of the country’s renewable generation.
Why This Is a Matter of System Survival
In Ukraine’s overall energy balance, hydroelectric power plants are the second-largest segment after nuclear units. That means every solar power plant taken offline automatically shifts the burden to thermal generation, increases reliance on imports, or deepens the supply deficit during peak consumption hours. The condition of dams, transformer infrastructure, and control systems therefore has a direct bearing on grid stability — and on whether the lights stay on for millions of consumers.
What This Means for the Energy System
A deputy minister’s site visit is not a ceremonial formality — it signals that engineering teams are operating under an accelerated decision-making regime, and that the pace of those decisions will determine how many plants enter the peak heating season at full readiness. If the model of “build protection without shutting down turbines” holds, Ukraine will preserve one of its most valuable balancing resources. If the pace slows, dependence on thermal generation and the need for imports will grow — and with them, the system’s vulnerability to further attacks.
Sources: Укргідроенерго
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