What the residents of the community say
Halyna Basarab lives near the dam located on the Svicha River. Representatives of the “Ecoenergy” company plan to build a hydroelectric power station at this location. The woman says that during floods, the water level in the river rises sharply, 40 centimeters are not enough before the water reaches the street and floods the farms.
“If this mini-hydroelectric power station is built, the water will stand still, it will not flow. The road is higher, we are lower. And I am sure that we will just be flooded here. I think that in order to preserve the ecology, it is better not to touch this river, because a reservoir will be built here, in which there will be green water, that is, the structure of the water will change. And Dolyna, and Bolekhiv, and Goshiv, and Morshin drink water from our Svichi,” says Galina Basarab.
The woman has lived near Swicha for 40 years. During hot weather, the river becomes a trickle, so she fears that after the construction of the hydroelectric power station, the water in the river may become even less.
“If it is deepened so that turbines can be turned, there will be no water at the bottom of the river. And I am sure that there will be no water in the wells either. And this is a protected area. I think that we should preserve nature for our children and grandchildren , and I am against destroying,” says Galina Basarab.
Volodymyr Terenchyn, a resident of Vyhoda, said that part of the territory on which they want to start construction belongs to the nature reserve fund. The man believes that the construction of hydroelectric power plants is primarily a danger to the environment.
“It’s a deterioration of water quality, a decrease in water level, an increase in the temperature of the river. Maybe even the destruction of a beautiful mountain river. I believe that if you put any water through a mechanical device, it becomes worse than it was before. I don’t I see absolutely no need for the existence of this hydroelectric power plant. As far as I can tell, there is only half a megawatt. They are unlikely to improve the energy situation,” explains Volodymyr Terenchyn.
What the village council decided
People demanded from the head of the community Mykola Matsalak to show the minutes of the public hearings that were held when “Ekoenergetika” announced its intention to build a hydroelectric power plant. The chairman replied that he had not found such a protocol.
During the session, the deputies considered the issue of approving the land management project of “Ekoenergetika” LLC regarding the allocation of a plot of land with an area of 0.1121 hectares, as well as changing the purpose of this plot for the construction of an energy facility. The decision was not supported. None of the deputies present voted “for”, six – “against”, eight abstained, one deputy did not vote.
“This decision did not pass. And Ekoenergetika cannot take further steps regarding the construction of the HPP. Of course, they can appeal and bring this issue to future sessions. But, I think, after seeing the community’s reaction and opposition, this decision will not be made in the near future for the session,” says Mykola Matsalak.
Oksana Bilinska, a lawyer of the Vygoda settlement council, said that the general plan of the Vygoda community, which was approved in April 2020, includes a hydroelectric power station. Residents demanded changes to this plan at the session. During the break, they wrote an appeal to local deputy Anatoly Nechaev. In it, they asked to submit a parliamentary request to check the documentation of “Ekoenergetika” LLC, as well as to bring up the issue of changes in the general plan to the next session. The appeal was signed by 27 people.
According to the head of the community, issues related to changes in the general plan will be studied.
“First of all, we will see how much it will cost and when it was approved, because according to the legislation, changes to the master plan take place after five to six years. We will study it legally and see,” says Mykola Matsalak.
The position of the enterprise that wants to build a hydroelectric power station
The director of the Uniplyt company, which is a co-founder of Ecoenergetika, Yury Dubas told Suspilno in a comment that the company has all the necessary documents for the construction of a mini-hydroelectric power plant. According to him, the construction of the HPP will not affect the quality or quantity of water.
“Five years ago, we proposed a project to install a hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 500 kW. Unfortunately, during these five years, the opinion of the community does not change. And this opinion is not constructive, if we take into account some unverified facts. People manipulate public opinion and put pressure on deputies. We are not giving up on the idea, we will continue to submit the necessary documents to all relevant authorities so that this issue is relevant. And we believe that sooner or later our opinion will be heard, and we will be able to implement this project together,” said Yurii Dubas.
What do ecologists say about the construction of a hydroelectric power station in Vygoda
Anatoliy Pavelko, lawyer and environmentalist of the Danube-Carpathian Program public organization, explains: the Svicha river, on which the hydroelectric power station is planned to be built, is one of the cleanest rivers in the Carpathians. According to him, the construction of the station is a threat to the Red Book species of fish that live in the reservoir, as well as to water tourism, in particular to rafting of tourists on the river. In addition, water intake can cause other threats.
“Any extraction that will be carried out as a result of the construction of the hydroelectric power plant will make it impossible for protected fish species to spawn without hindrance. It will affect the stability of the water flow primarily within the village and in the surrounding areas. The third point may be related to a change or decrease in the groundwater level. There may be problems with the supply of drinking water from wells,” says Anatoly Pavelko.
According to him, the quality or quantity of water in the Svicha River may change if the parameters of the dam are changed during the construction of the hydroelectric power plant, for example, the area of the reservoir is increased.
What is known about the construction of the HPP in Vygoda
On November 15, 2018, the Vygoda Town Council under the leadership of Yaroslav Naum voted for the decision to approve the technical documentation with land management regarding the division of the land plot leased to Uniplyt. Also, with this decision, the land was leased for five years to the company “Ekoenergetika”.
Residents of the Vyhoda territorial community collected signatures against the construction of a mini hydroelectric power plant on the Svicha River.
The Village Council of the Vygoda Territorial Community decided to review its permission to produce project documentation for the construction of a mini hydroelectric power plant on the Svicha River.
On April 22, 2021, the deputies of the village council canceled their decision on this permission. However, the company “Ekoenergetika” won all court hearings, which proved the legality of granting permission by the village council for the land plot.
On March 19, 2023, a meeting of representatives of the “Ekoenergetika” company, which plans to build a mini-hydroelectric power station, took place in the village of Vyhoda, Kaluska district.
