About health of Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Station and dikes which doesn’t let the sea, which hangs above the capital, go

Kyiv HES since the 1st aggregate entered into a line-up has been in exploitation for 44 years. Presently “Cascade of Kyiv HES and HAES” is the overhead step of row of the hydroelectric power stations on the Dnipro river and is a part of the joint stock company “Ukrhydroenergo”. The cascade unites two stations which are Kyiv HES and HAES — one of two operating hydro accumulating power-stations on the territory of Ukraine. The complete and production volumes of the Kyiv storage pool is 3,73 and 1,17 cube kilometer accordingly. Average annual production of electric power by Kyiv HES is about 797 million kilowatt-hours.

How dangerous is such neighborhood for habitants of capital and region? Has the resource of power durability of the hydroelectric station become impoverished?

We put such questions to Mykola BIDNYI, the director of the Branch “Cascade of Kyiv HES and HAES” of the JSC “Ukrhydroenergo”.

We offer the readers the estimation of the specialist of the health of “a dam” as citizens of Kyiv call the dike which holds the sea that hangs above a capital.

Kyiv HES can influence Osokorky area, which is located in the lower part, only by that amount of water which is thrown away by the station according to the decision of the already mentioned interdepartmental committee. And it provides as low water level as possible near Kyiv, which couldn’t be reached if there was no Kyiv dike. The role of our HES is to avoid flood in Podol, on the left bank and in those Osokorky area, when the water level in the storage pool becomes high.

The standard mark of the Kyiv storage pool is 103 meters above the sea level. In case of a big flood (at full sea) our HES can force the level of storage pool by reserve 1 meter and 10 centimeters additionally, that on the whole is up to the mark 104 meters and10 centimeters above the sea level! It is also called the “forced horizon in the upper part of Kyiv HES storage pool”. Such possibilities were foreseen already during the planning of the hydroelectric power station. But such decision is made only by the Interdepartmental committee at the State Water Household. Such necessity has never taken place for years of existence of Kyiv HES.

— Mykola Oleksandrovych, what sources is exploitation of the Kyiv dike financed from? Are these facilities enough for maintaining it in the proper technical condition? Are there, maybe, any certain projects with foreign investments with the purpose of reconstruction of levee and earthen dike?

— Yes, we attract investments. During six years from 1996 to June of 2002 the first stage of reconstruction of all HES on the Dnipro River was carried out due to the credit of the World Bank, the grant of the government of Switzerland and personal funds. Successful implementation of the program of the first stage of reconstruction contributed to the negotiation process between the joint stock company “Ukrhydroenergo” and the World Bank in relation to the receiving of facilities for realization of the second stage of reconstruction of the Dnipro cascade of HES. Presently within the framework of implementation of the Project of rehabilitation of the power hydroelectric stations of Dniprohydroenergo, which is partly financed by the World Bank, the reconstruction of basic and auxiliary equipment of “Cascade of Kyiv HES and HAES” is proceeding.

On the second stage of reconstruction (2002—2011) the following things are  planned: to complete the rehabilitation of hydraulic units, electrical engineering equipment, hydro mechanical  equipment; introductions of the automated systems of safety of dikes in all HES; solving problems of ecology; modernization of communication means and so on. Facilities after a credit are returned by the joint stock company “Ukrhydroenergo”. It was desirable to mark that there is no HES that uses budgetary facilities and each exists due to own only. National committee on regulation of power engineering markets (NCEM) puts expenses equal to the normal functioning and exploitation of HES in the cost of one kilowatt-hour.

— According to the data of some scientists the Kyiv storage pool has accumulated plenty of high-radio-active deposits of silt for 22 years after the Chornobyl catastrophe and is now extremely dangerous unit. People say that the territory, which the silt will pass by, is not the subject for the rehabilitation for thousand years! In accordance with approximate figures 90 million cubic meters of radio-active slit is accumulated in the storage pool. This figure is compared with 330 thousand railway carriages! And when the sluices of dike open and close, this silt rises from a bottom and spreads further, because, according to your words, 5,5 thousand cubic meters of water for a second can pass through Kyiv HES! So the question appears: is there a real danger of carrying-out of radioactive nuclides from the Kyiv storage pool to the river-bed of the Dnipro River?

— It concerns more environmentalists and the State Water Household, but I can say something as well. Really there are certain accumulations of radio-active silt in the upper part of the storage pool. When turbines are switched on, it does not practically influence the speed of flow, which remains very slow, so that the water level does not slump. What is more the radio-active silt can not get to the lower part because in the first year after the Chernobyl catastrophe, taking into account possibility of such consequences, the so called submarine ridge was also poured in the upper part. This earthen dike is located 500 meters higher from HES, which hinders mule deposits in the riverhead of the Dnipro River from boiling up and getting further to its river-bed. Environmentalists, specialists from sanitary and epidemic station and from the State Water Household carry out permanent monitoring and from time to time conduct the tests of water examining the presence of radioactive nuclides. By the way, on the left bank approximately 4 kilometres away from our HES there is the recreation department called “Mountainous”  for  the workers of the station. So you have to believe we wouldn’t take the risk of own health…

— Mykola Oleksandrovych, Do you think it was worth to build such enormous storage pool near Kyiv? People say the station was built in anticipation of one hundred years, CONSEQUENTLY WE SHOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT NOTHING 60 MORE YEARS and presently there is no threat from the side of HES for the population of Kyiv?

— When at the end of 1950 the Kyiv storage pool and the dike of Kyiv HES was planned, the approach which presently is called the system approach was applied, that is all aspects were taken into account so that created by people difficult technological complex, to which Kyiv HES, the dike and the storage pool belong, could fit in the natural system. The dike of the Kyiv storage pool was projected and built with the account of possibility of emerging of different situations: not only at normal service conditions but also at so called extraordinary catastrophic terms. Besides every five years another Interdepartmental committee attached to that State Water Household assembles for the careful inspection of buildings and equipment of all HES in Ukraine.

Svitlana FILONENKO, Mykola BILOKOPYTOV (photo)