Russia Occupies The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine's Head Of Energy: The Risk Is Very High

PLTN Zaporizhzhia. (Wikimedia Commons/Ralf1969)

JAKARTA - The head of Ukrainian nuclear power company Energoatom Petro Kotin warned of the very high risk posed by the shooting at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Russian-occupied south, saying it was critical for Kyiv to regain control of the facility in the face of winter.

In an interview with Reuters, quoted on August 10, Petro Kotin said last week Russia damaged three lines connecting the Zaporizhzhia plant to the Ukrainian grid. Russia wants to connect the facility to its own network.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the site of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which is currently inside territory occupied by the Moscow army.

Some of the shots targeted areas near spent fuel storage facilities, an area that contains 174 containers of highly radioactive material, Kotin said, warning of the danger if the containers were hit.

"This is the most radioactive material in all of a nuclear power plant. It will (mean) distribution (of) around this place, then there will be like a radiation cloud, with the weather deciding which way the cloud goes," he said.

"The risk is very high," said Kotin.

Kotin said Russia wanted to connect the plant to its grid, a technically difficult process that would require the facility to be separated from the Ukrainian system before it could be gradually connected to Russian systems.

"Their plan is to destroy all lines of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. After that it will not be connected to the Ukrainian power system," he explained.

The nuclear plant has six reactors and generated 20-21 percent of Ukraine's pre-war electricity needs, Kotin said. According to him, to restore it, needed renovation.

"So for the winter, we urgently need to get the Russians out of there, then renovate the infrastructure."

About 500 Russian troops are currently there in heavy vehicles, and the plant is being used as a base, he said.

Kotin said the best solution was to withdraw Russian troops and return the nuclear power plant under Ukrainian control. Peacekeepers could be sent to guard the facility, he said.

"The ultimate solution is to remove the soldiers and all their weapons from the site. And this completely solves the safety problem at the Zaporizhzhia power plant," Kotin explained.

He warned, however, that there would be no guarantee of safety for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if they carried out an inspection of the site, which was occupied in March. According to him, such inspections are best done with the United Nations.