At the initiative of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushchenko, the High-Level International Advisory Council under the Ministry of Energy held an emergency meeting in connection with the Kakhovka HPP dam explosion. The meeting was attended by European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Croatian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Davor Filipovic, Minister for Climate and Energy Policy of the Netherlands Rob Jetten, Romanian Minister of Energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu, French Minister of Energy Agnès Pannier-Runacher, other representatives of the G7 countries and heads of international organisations.

German Galushchenko informed the participants about the current situation at the plant and the consequences of the disaster.

"The hydroelectric power plant is completely destroyed, the russians blew it up from the inside. It cannot be restored or rebuilt. We expect 80 settlements to be flooded, evacuations are underway and all possible measures are being taken to protect people. The situation is currently very complicated, especially in the part of the Kherson region that has been de-occupied. russia has committed ecocide on the territory of our country," the Minister said.

German Galushchenko emphasised the special risks for nuclear and radiation safety, as Kakhovka HPP provided cooling of the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP units. According to the Minister, the situation at ZNPP is currently under control, the water level is sufficient. At the same time, the situation directly depends on the actions of the russians, which no one can influence, and possible changes in weather conditions.

"Therefore, the IAEA, whose representatives are present at the plant, should take a tough stance and put pressure on the russians so that they do not create unnecessary risks to nuclear and radiation safety of the continent. De-occupation and demilitarisation of the plant, as well as ensuring stable and safe operation of ZNPP are the only possible scenario that should be implemented if the world wants to avoid a nuclear disaster," emphasised German Galushchenko.

The Energy Minister also noted that the disaster at Kakhovka HPP would affect the water level at other Ukrainian hydroelectric power plants, which could lead to an imbalance in the power system. According to him, despite the fact that the plant has not been supplying electricity to the system since the occupation, the breakthrough has disrupted the integrity of the entire hydroelectric power plant. Accordingly, there is a risk that hydropower industry, which has been balancing the Ukrainian power system, will not operate at the required capacity.

"In this regard, we are counting on the support of our partners and an increase in transmission capacity to increase electricity imports to 2 GW," said German Galushchenko.

A separate issue raised during the meeting was the need to fully restore the power facilities that will be destroyed due to the explosion and the resulting flood. We are talking about grids, generating facilities and power lines. This will require enormous resources, and Ukraine will count on the support of its partners in this matter.

European Commissioner Kadri Simson noted that the European side remained ready to support Ukraine in increasing electricity imports and to increase pressure on russia. The European Commissioner stressed that the attack on civilian energy infrastructure and generation facilities was a direct violation of international law, and the EU would take into account the latest developments in the next package of sanctions against russia.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, in turn, stressed that the United States would continue to support Ukraine at all levels and was ready to provide additional assistance in connection with the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant disaster.

The Ministry of Energy will also initiate an appeal to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to expel russia from the organisation.