Its main industry is electricity generation, at coal-fired and large nuclear power stations. It has an estimated population of 52,237 (2022 estimate).[3] About 11,000 residents work at the nuclear power station.[4]
For two years, the town had no name. Zaporizhzhia TPP was under construction, and the city grew. On 23 November 1972, the village of power engineers was named Enerhodar.
The complex development of Enerhodar was combined with the high rate of construction of the thermal power plant. Residential areas, kindergartens, the Energodar Hotel, and the Palace of Culture "Sovremennik" were built simultaneously with the plant's units. Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant reached full capacity in September 1977.
On 28 February 2022, Russia claimed to have captured the city and the nuclear power plant. The mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, denied the claim.[6]
Civilians built a large barricade of sandbags and vehicles on the road to the nuclear power plant in an attempt to hinder Russian troop advancement.[7] The Ukrainian military administration for the southeast confirmed on 7 March that Enerhodar had been occupied by Russian forces.[8]
