Economy Ministry: Direct losses from Kakhovka HPP blast estimated at $2B

Ukrinform reports this with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Economy.

"The amount of direct damage caused by the Kakhovka HPP explosion is estimated at least $2 billion. These are losses in the housing and utilities sector, energy, agriculture, transport, ecology, and industry," the report says.

According to the KSE Institute's estimates, the losses caused by the Kakhovka HPP explosion include the following. The housing industry suffered losses of $950 million. According to preliminary information, about 20,000-30,000 houses in Kherson region and more than 500 private houses in Mykolaiv region turned out to be in flooded areas. The energy sector suffered $624 million in losses - in particular, the losses from the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, which cannot be restored, are estimated at $586 million. The needs for the construction of a new hydroelectric power plant will amount to about $1 billion. Damage to the transport sector reached $311 million. More than 290 km of roads were affected by the flood. Industrial losses are estimated at $105 million. A total of 28 large industrial facilities located on the right and left banks of the Dnipro River were flooded. The agriculture sector suffered losses of $25 million. The environment and ecology suffered losses of $1.5 billion - 150 tonnes of oil leaked when the dam exploded. The salinity level of the Black Sea near Odesa is almost three times lower than normal.

"We continue to record the damage and estimate the damages caused by Russia's blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP dam. The housing fund of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions suffered huge losses. Direct damages from the flooding of private houses and related infrastructure are estimated at $950 million. More than a quarter of the total amount of damages - $586 million - is directly related to the hydroelectric power plant destruction, which will have to be built from scratch," said First Deputy Prime Minister -  Economy Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko.

She noted that the primary issue remains the provision of drinking water to the affected regions. Thus, the budget committee approved the allocation of $41 million (UAH 1.5 billion) for the construction of water mains.

As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of June 6, the Russian army blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. After the explosion, the Ukrainian law enforcers launched an investigation under the article on ecocide. Ukrhydroenergo hydro power generating company stated that the Kakhovka HPP is completely destroyed and cannot be restored.