Last week, on 11th of October 2019, the Ukrainian experts with Moldavian representatives visited the abandoned TMF of Moldavian TPP.

This event was preceded by preparatory organizational works within the GEF project "Enabling Transboundary Cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester River Basin".

The point is that the TMF is located on the Ukrainian territory, while the owner and responsible for its operation is the Transnistrian enterprise - Moldavian TPP. The TMF turned up to be located on the lands of the Gradenitsky village council, Beliaevsky district, Odessa region after the USSR breakout and the establishment of the independent states' borders. The locals have repeatedly complained that this facility harms the environment and human health, though it is not operated by TPP since 2005. 

During 2019, the OSCE consultants - Ecoplatform experts collected the documentation available in the Ukrainian departments, met with village council and interviewed the locals. Since the TMF is located within the border strip between Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova (Transnistrian segment of the Moldova-Ukraine border) the site-visit was coordinated with the State Border Service . 

The visual inspection established that the TMF surface has overgrown with reeds. This reduces the removal of large fraction ash, but does not solve the problem, because the disturbed lands were not properly rehabilitated and fine ash parts are dusting, - noted Iryna Nikolaieva, team leader, PhD, environmental safety expert, OSCE consultant.

Walking through the territory, experts discovered a ruined pumping station and a former pond - the past facilities of TMF complex, and recorded signs of the technological requirements violation when filling TMF sections.

The Moldavian TPP issue is complex: the station's TMF in fact is an abandoned facility that occupies large areas of Ukrainian lands. The company has not properly closed and rehabilitated the facility, and does not pay the environmental tax. In addition, the operating conditions of the Kuchurgan water eservoir are not agreed: Moldavian TPP does not pump out the collector-drainage water that results in flooding the Razdelnyansky district settlements.

 

The Moldavian and Ukrainian parties agreed that such a complex issue of TMF and Kuchurgan water reservoir operation cannot be considered unilaterally. Addressing the issue at the interstate level is an example of promoting the GEF project on transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the Dniester River basin.

 

So, we are preparing analytical materials and conclusions for consideration at the Dniester Commission meeting, scheduled in December this year.

 

Additionally:

The site-visit group included from the Ukrainian Party: Deputy Commissioner's Cabinet of Ukraine, Head of the Dniester River Basin Authority Roman Mykhailiuk, Head of the Black Sea and Lower Danube Rivers Basin Authority Lilia Grichulevich, representatives of the Black Sea and Lower Danube Rivers Basin Authority Oleh Romanchuk, Viktor Pavluikh, team leader, environmental safety expert, OSCE consultant Iryna Nikolaieva;

from the Moldavian Party: Deputy Commissioner of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, Deputy Director of Apele Moldovei Agency Radu Cazacu, Head of the Department of Biodiversity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment of the Republic of Moldova Dumitru Gorelko and Head of the Department of Integrated Water Resources Management of the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment of the Republic of Moldova Andrian Delinschi.