A new report on the next phase of construction for the Tashlyk Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Power Plant (Tashlytska HPP) has appeared in Ukraine’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) registry. The project involves raising the water level of the Oleksandrivske Reservoir on the Southern Bug River (Pivdennyi Buh), which poses the same threat of flooding the Buzkyi Hard National Nature Park that non-governmental organizations have managed to prevent on several previous occasions.
The planned work would raise the water level 90 cm (about 3 feet) above its current level. This would flood valuable territories within the Buzkyi Hard National Nature Park. These areas are habitats for a large number of species listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine and in Resolution 6 of the Bern Convention. Additionally, the area is known for its scenic rocky landscapes, which would disappear underwater, and its historical and cultural value, as it was once the center of the Buhogardova Palanka of the Zaporizhian Cossack Army.
The park is home to the world’s largest population of the unique Buh Carnation (Dianthus hypanicus), a plant that Ukraine is obligated to protect under the Bern Convention.
Due to the nature of the pumped-storage power plant, the water level will constantly fluctuate by one meter. This will create a “dead zone” along the shoreline, which will be inaccessible to both terrestrial and aquatic species.
We encourage you to submit your comments on this report, as every word and every argument can be decisive. According to the EIA procedure, comments can be submitted to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources until April 18.
