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2023. Nov VOL.668
- 2023. Nov VOL.668
- ENG
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2023. Nov VOL.668
The war that began in February 2022 has wreaked havoc with a majority of Ukraine’s key infrastructure including roads, railways and airports. Thousands of facilities need to be urgently restored, and 700 of them are related to water resources. A total of 25 water facilities including dams at Kakhovka, one of the major cities in the country have been seriously damaged. In July 2023, South Korea and Ukraine held a summit, and have been conducting joint reconstruction projects since then. As a member of the One Team Korea, which is the Korean delegation for the reconstruction of Ukraine, K-water has taken the initiative by following up on the bilateral agreement on cooperation to rebuild Ukraine. On July 26, it became the first Korean public organization to sign an agreement with Hrhydroenergo (UHE), a Ukraine-based public hydroelectric dam operator to cooperate on projects for dams and hydroelectric power generation including the restoration of Kakhovka Dam, with this agreement marking the first step in bilateral cooperation. K-water plans to modernize old water facilities in Ukraine and share technology so as to improve their operation and management systems, in addition to restoring Kakhovka Dam.
K-water continues to take proactive steps in Ukraine’s reconstruction projects. Given the prompt implementation of follow-up measures after the ‘One Team Korea-Ukraine Reconstruction Cooperation Forum’ was held in September 2023, it and the working groups in the areas of water, energy and urban development visited Ukraine on the 25th that month. This marks the first visit to Ukraine by a member organization of the One Team Korea. During the visit, it signed an agreement with the Ukraine government, including the Ukraine Reconstruction Agency, to cooperate on supplying drinking water and carrying out urban post-reconstruction in Kherson Oblast. Located just north of Crimea, Kherson Oblast is home to the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Station, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Ongoing military battles have destroyed Kakhovka Dam, and caused other serious damages, leaving the area in urgent need of help. K-water will build water purification facilities capable of providing clean drinking water for approximately 35,000 people at key private facilities, including hospitals and schools.
On September 12, the Ukraine ambassador to Korea, Dmytro Ponomarenko, visited K-water for a meeting with K-water CEO Yun Seog-dae. The meeting was held to reaffirm the bilateral commitment to cooperation for infrastructure construction to rebuild Ukraine. Ambassador Ponomarenko and CEO Yun discussed the key issues on war-inflicted damages and post-reconstruction in Ukraine, as well as the ways to capitalize on K-water’s technology and resources in water management and urban post-reconstruction. After the meeting, the ambassador had an opportunity to learn about K-water’s digital water management system that integrates 4th Industrial Revolution technology including AI and digital twin, and visited Daecheong Dam as well. K-water will contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine by using its 50-year advanced know-how and preeminent water management technology with its full participation in water management, such as water volume and quality monitoring of major rivers, as well as in national ecological restoration and construction of urban infrastructure.
During its visit to Ukraine in September, the One Team Korea announced ‘six major leading projects*’ that the South Korea and Ukraine governments will focus on, and K-water will participate in the water facility reconstruction project, one of the six leading projects. Since direct access to Kakhovka Dam is not possible, it will conduct analysis and basic surveys on the dam based on satellite photos, and send some of its dam experts to Ukraine. Restoring Kakhovka Dam is such a crucial part of the national reconstruction of Ukraine that Ukrainian president Zelensky expressed his hope that K-water actively participate in the project.
Additionally, the two countries are working on the ‘Smart City Master Plan’ to develop the Uman City into a smart city. In August, K-water was finally selected as the operator in charge of developing the ‘Uman Smart City Master Plan’. As a result, K-water will be able to serve as a bridgehead for Korean companies’ participation in Ukraine’s national reconstruction project. The Smart City Master Plan is being implemented with a focus on urban planning and a tourism promotion plan that connects Uman to other major cities in Ukraine. K-water will first make plans to secure funds to carry out the master plan, and invite Ukrainian officials and experts to South Korea to take part in training programs for enhancing their knowledge and capability and to analyze the conditions of Uman for development. The construction of Uman Smart City is scheduled for completion in April 2024.
As a member of the One Team Korea, K-water will cooperate closely various Ukrainian organizations, and commit every effort to help Korean corporations get involved in urban post-reconstruction projects in Ukraine. Above all, K-water will be the water of life for Ukraine to emerge from the pains and tragedy of the war and rebuild itself.
*Six major leading projects: Kyiv Transport Master Plan, Uman Smart City Master Plan, Boryispil International Airport Modernization, Bucha Wastewater Treatment Plant, Kakhovka Dam Reconstruction Support and High-Speed Railway Construction
