The Kakhovka Reservoir, stretching for 220 kilometres along the river stream between Zaporizhzhia and Nova Kakhovka, is estimated to hold approximately 18 cubic kilometres of water.

On June 6th, 2023, a large explosion occurred, resulting in the destruction of the Dam situated in the southern part of the reservoir near Nova Kakhovka. This incident led to extensive flooding in the southern region of Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant heavily relies on the Kakhovka Reservoir to maintain the cooling of its nuclear reactors.
All six reactors of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant have been shut down for several months requiring less cooling which for the short term can be maintained with the plant’s internal cooling pond, but eventually, the pond will have to be replenished from the Kakhovka Reservoir whose levels are currently too low.

Observations from Sentinel 2 optical imagery captured on June 5th and July 5th, 2023, emphasize the magnitude of water loss and the potential implications for the nuclear plant should the cooling capacity of the reactors be compromised. The plant has already had several power loss incidents.