According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russian forces have a plan to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) which, in line with the scorched earth policy, would cause the dispersion of radioactive material, contaminating a large area. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on 22 June.
Russians in charge
The central is the major nuclear complex of Europe with 6 reactors for a total power of 5700 MWe. The ZNPP site was occupied by the Russians on March 4, 2022, in the first phase of the invasion. From the following March 12 the Russian State Atomic Energy Company Rosatom took full control of it, keeping the Ukrainian personnel in a subordinate position. Since September 2022 the ZNPP it is not operational: Five reactors are in cold shutdown mode and one unit remains at elevated temperature and pressure to produce the steam needed to keep the site safe.
Ukrainian personnel continued to operate the plant regularly even under Russian military control and Rosatom direction, not without negative impact on personnel morale and serenity. The number of employees has drastically decreased: of the 11,000 initially present, approximately remained 3500, sufficient for current management with reactors in shutdown; however, the most qualified personnel have been lacking and there is a skills deficit for maintenance interventions and experts for safety checks.
Military escalation close to the plant
The ZNPP is located at Enerhodar, at the extreme edge of the zone occupied by Russia and could find itself at the forefront of the next military operations. There have been artillery attacks in its vicinity and intense Ukrainian guerrilla activity in the surrounding area, escalating local military activity.
Zaporizhzhya Oblast is one of the main ones battlefields of the two armies: Russian forces managed to occupy only about the southern 2/3 of the region, which was however formally incorporated into the Russian Federation on September 30, 2022, and therefore find themselves in the need to complete its acquisition; on the other hand, one of the objectives of the announced Ukrainian counter-offensive is the liberation of the entire oblast as far as the Sea of Azov, in order to interrupt Russia’s land connection with Crimea.
The impact of the dam collapse
Even during shutdown the reactors require a continuous cooling to dissipate the heat produced by the radioactive material. This is necessary to avoid fuel melting and possible release of radioactive substances. Furthermore, the pools containing the exhausted material must be continuously cooled. There are more than 3,300 cold-stored spent fuel rods on site and nearly 2,000 in “hot” pools, for a total of 2,200 t of radioactive material.
For the refrigeration of the plant, ZNPP uses the basin created by the diga di Kakhovka on the Dnipro River; the destruction of the dam (June 6) with the consequent considerable emptying of the reservoir is creating serious risks for the plant. The intelligence report cited by Zelens’kyj refers precisely to the cooling basin of the ZNPP, which would have been mined by the Russiansin addition to the mines they have already placed in and around the ZNPP.
Moreover, even if it is turned off, the nuclear power plant requires external electricity for correct operation and above all to keep the cooling pumps running. Of the four high-voltage power lines (750 kV) that connect the nuclear power plant to the grid, for many months the plant has been able to count on only one line, with a critical reduction in safety.
International alarm
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has maintained constant attention to all Ukrainian nuclear facilities, both for their safety and for the control of fissile materials. The ZNPP presents the most delicate situation and the IAEA has carried out several missions there and maintains permanent observers there. The seriousness of his situation convinced the director of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi to present to the UN Security Council on 30 May a report on the state of the plant and its serious security risks, and to carry out a personal mission in mid-June.
In his speech to the Security Council, Grossi illustrated the conditions necessary to ensure the safety and security of the ZNPP plant and prevent a nuclear disaster calamitous for Ukraine, Russia and other countries. The nuclear and radiological risk derives from three main problems: the uncertainty about the availability of water and electricity, the drastic reduction of personnel and the involvement of the site in military operations.
The five principles of the IAEA
Given the seriousness of the situation, the director of the IAEA has identified five principles measures to prevent a nuclear accident and ensure the integrity of the plant:
there must not be attacks of any kind by or against the Facility, especially against reactors, spent fuel storage, other critical infrastructure, or personnel; the postoffice must not be used as deposit or base for heavy weapons or military personnel usable for an attack from the installation; L’diet system with external power supply must not be endangered. To this end, every effort must be made to ensure that electricity remains always available and safe; all structures, systems and components essential for the safe operation of the ZNPP nuclear power plant must be protected by attacks or acts of sabotage; no action should be taken to compromise the safety of the plant.
These conditions appear clearly indispensable and in the common interest; their implementation agreed between Russians and Ukrainians can ignite a glimmer of hope for the beginning of contacts between the leaders of the two countries on common vital problems, such as precisely nuclear safety.
Cover photo EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY