Beijing concerned about impact of Kakhovka HPP destruction

BRUSSELS. June 7 (Interfax) - China is deeply concerned about the consequences of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant's destruction in the Kherson region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.

"We express serious concern over the damage to the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant," the Western media quoted him as saying.

Beijing fears the "humanitarian, economic and ecological impacts" of the incident, he said.

The Kakhovka HPP, in operation since the 1950s, regulates the Dnieper's water flow for the purpose of power generation, irrigation and water supply to arid regions of southern Ukraine, as well as navigation between Kherson and Zaporozhye. It is where the North Crimean Canal, which provides the peninsula with water from the Dnieper, begins.

The plant has not generated electricity since mid-2022 because of attacks.

The authorities have evacuated more than 1,200 residents from riverside communities in the Kherson region.

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