Ukrhydroenergo has not been able to start overhaul of a bridge to the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant (HPP, Zaporizhia) over the fact that the alternative ways across the Dnipro River have not yet been completed, Ukrhydroenergo CEO Ihor Syrota said at a press conference in Vyshgorod (Kyiv region).

"We have a bridge reconstruction project and the second stage of reconstruction [the HPP reconstruction project] prescribes borrowed funds for this purpose. It is necessary to change the crane girders, expand the hinged structures and add one or two more lines... But for more than two years we cannot proceed with overhaul due to the fact that two other bridges have not been completed in Zaporizhia. If the bridge to the Dnipro HPP is blocked, there will be a collapse," he said.

Syrota said that the loan agreement, within which the reconstruction of the HPP is being financed, terminates in 2021. By this time, it is necessary to complete all the work, including the overhaul of the bridge to the Dnipro HPP.

The cost of the bridge overhaul is UAH 500-700 million.

Now, Ukrhydroenergo is forced to spend annually on patching the road pavement, which solves the problem only for a limited period of time.