Despite environmental risks, resistance from scientists and communities, attempts to resume the construction of small hydropower plants (HPPs) are being made on the Carpathian rivers – Cheremosh, White Cheremosh, Prut, and Stryi.
The environmental organization WWF-Ukraine and the NGO Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNG) spoke about the developments around these projects and the current state of affairs.
- Members of these organizations presented 3 cases:
The hydroelectric power plant on the Stryi River in Skole district.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine devoted 7 pages to the risks of building such a facility as part of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) procedure and justified why the SEA report needs to be revised.
The next step is for the Skole City Council to make a decision. Local officials may approve the construction contrary to legal requirements or take into account the ministry's comments.
- Hydropower plants on the Cheremosh River in Roztoky village and on the Bilyi Cheremosh River in Holoshyno village.
This project was opposed by the Chernivtsi Fish Protection Patrol. The inspectors believe that the construction of hydropower plants on the Bilyi Cheremosh and Cheremosh rivers may pose an environmental threat to their hydrological regime and to the conservation of rare fish species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
“Implementation of such projects can lead to irreversible loss of biodiversity, leveling of public investment in environmental protection measures and violation of the protection regime of the Cheremoskyi Ichthyological Reserve of local importance,” the fisheries conservationists emphasized.
WWF-Ukraine says that this is an attempt by the energy sector to “resuscitate” the 2013 projects, which were previously stopped due to local resistance.
- A hydroelectric power plant on the Prut River in the Mateyivtsi community.
According to WWF-Ukraine, a cascade of hydroelectric power plants is planned to be built here. On September 27, 2024, deputies of the Mateyivtsi Council allowed Deversity Group LLC to develop land management projects for the allocation of 12 hectares of land (outside the villages of Zamulintsy, Mateyivtsi, and Pereriv) for the construction of energy generating facilities.
The UPG said that on May 19, public hearings were held, at which local residents spoke in favor of preserving the Prut River and categorically opposed the construction of the hydroelectric power plant.
“People are concerned about the risk of flooding and the disappearance of water in wells during the dry months. Despite a clear signal from the community, the strategic environmental assessment procedure is underway, so the fight for the river continues,” say conservationists from WWF-Ukraine.
The activists explain that theoretically, the community deputies could decide to support the hydroelectric power plant despite the activists' position. But the UPG expressed hope that this will not happen.
In May, EcoPolitics reported that the Tyachiv District Court seized the land for the construction of small hydropower plants in the village of Kalyny in Zakarpattia due to the lack of conclusions on environmental impact assessment and within the framework of criminal proceedings on the fact of forgery of documents for construction.
Also last year, we reported that in the village of Kalyny, Dubove community in Tyachiv region, representatives of the local community at a hearing strongly opposed the construction of small hydropower plants on the Teresva River. Later, it became known that the Ministry of Environment had suspended consideration of the construction documents submitted by Hydroresurs-Teresva LLC to obtain conclusions on the environmental impact assessment of 2 channel mini-hydroelectric power plants on the Teresva.
