Ukraine is already faced with water shortages today, and the situation, according to experts, will only deteriorate. Economist-geographer Ivan Savchuk, an associated researcher of the laboratory "Geography of cities" in Paris, warns: for the next 25 years the south of Ukraine may remain without sufficient water supply. It is not only an environmental problem, but also a critical issue for the energy security of the state.
Climate and drought changes affect the water level in the Dnieper, where the cascades of hydroelectric power plants are located. In years with lack of precipitation, hydrogeneration provides only 4% of electricity, but these volumes can be decisive at critical moments of the system. Hydroelectric power plants act as a regulator of the power system, stabilizing the load and covering peak needs.
The construction of strategically important objects - Tashlytsya and Transnistrian hydraulic power plants - is of particular importance in this context. They are able to significantly increase the operational stability of Ukraine's power system, especially in the conditions of unstable energy supply through the war.
In addition to the energy aspect, the problem of water in the south will also have agrarian, social and geopolitical consequences. There is already a need for a systematic approach to water policy, in particular - the introduction of modern methods of water conservation, investment in infrastructure and interregional water supply.
