Safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine

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9 March 2022 - IAEA news report on status of Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPP)

“The remote transmission of data from IAEA safeguards equipment located at nuclear sites around the world is an important component of our safeguards implementation, in Ukraine and globally,” he said. “Such systems are installed in several facilities in Ukraine, including all nuclear power plants, and enable us to monitor nuclear material and activities at these sites when our inspectors are not present.”

Even though technical features were in place to ensure that the data was stored locally, the storage capacity as well as the operational status of the monitoring systems remained uncertain, he said.

Through safeguards technical measures the IAEA verifies that countries are honouring their international legal obligations to use nuclear material and technology only for peaceful purposes.

Regarding the status of Ukraine’s operational NPPs, the [Ukraine] regulator said eight of the country’s 15 reactors remained operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP. Radiation levels at the sites were normal, it said.

The Zaporizhzhya NPP site has four high voltage (750 kV) offsite power lines plus an additional one on standby. The operator informed the IAEA that two have been damaged and therefore there were now two power lines, plus the one on standby, available to the plant. The operator also said that the NPP off-site power needs could be provided with one power line available. Furthermore, diesel generators are ready and functional to provide back-up power. “Nevertheless, this is another example of where the safety pillar to secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites has been compromised,” Director General Grossi said.

In addition, the regulator reported that the Unit 6 transformer had been taken out of service and was undergoing emergency repair after damage to its cooling system was detected following the events of 4 March.

These recent developments added to the IAEA’s growing concerns about the safety, security and safeguards impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the country’s nuclear facilities, including its four operating nuclear power plants as well as the Chornobyl site.

As part of his new initiative regarding Ukraine, Director General Grossi said he will travel to Antalya tomorrow at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu. “In meetings there, I hope to make progress on the urgent issue of ensuring the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. We need to act now,” he said.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-16-iaea…

The situation is getting more dangerous for NPP operations and safety. I will provide upates from the IAEA.

Jaak

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10 March 2022 - IAEA news report on status of Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPP)

Regarding the status of Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants, the regulator said eight of the country’s 15 reactors remained operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, three at Rivne, one at Khmelnytskyy, and two at South Ukraine. Radiation levels at the four sites were normal, it said.

The Zaporizhzhya NPP site power supply situation is unchanged from that reported in Update 16. The site has four high voltage (750 kV) offsite power lines plus an additional one on standby. Two of the four have been damaged and therefore currently there are two power lines, plus the one on standby. The operator informed the IAEA that the NPP off-site power needs could be provided with one power line available. Furthermore, diesel generators are ready and functional to provide back-up power.

However, in another challenge for the same plant, it was not currently possible to deliver necessary spare parts, equipment and specialized personnel to the site to carry out planned repairs, and maintenance activities at Unit 1 had been reduced to the minimum level required by the plant operational procedures.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-16-iaea…

More info at the website.

Jaak

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11 March 2022 - IAEA news report on status of Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPP)

Zaporizhzhya NPP site power supply situation is unchanged from that reported in recent updates. The site has four high voltage (750 kV) offsite power lines plus an additional one on standby. Two of the four have been damaged. The operator has informed the IAEA that the NPP off-site power needs could be provided with one power line available. In addition, diesel generators are ready and functional to provide back-up power.

At the same NPP, work is ongoing to detect and dispose of unexploded munitions found in its damaged training centre and other places after the events there on 4 March, when Russian forces took control of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant with six reactors, the regulator said.

Staff operating the plant were rotating according to their usual schedule, without interference in their day-to-day activities, the regulator said. However, the presence of foreign forces in the area was affecting work morale and causing pressure, it added. The regulator is maintaining contact with the plant, but the IAEA is experiencing difficulties in reaching the Zaporizhzhya NPP management.

On the status of Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants, the regulator said eight of the country’s 15 reactors remained operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, three at Rivne, one at Khmelnytskyy, and two at South Ukraine. Radiation levels at the four sites were normal, it said.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-18-iaea…

Jaak

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12 March 2022 - IAEA news report on status of Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPP)

Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that Russia was planning to take full and permanent control of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) under the management of the state firm Rosatom, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. This was later denied by the Russian Federation.

The President of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operator Energoatom, Petro Kotin, said in a letter to the Director General that around 400 Russian soldiers were “being present full time on site” and confirmed that the NPP remains under the control of the Russian military forces’ commander.

In addition, Energoatom’s Kotin said plant management were required to coordinate with the Russian forces on all operational issues, including technical matters. He confirmed that staff at the NPP were regularly rotating and added that Russian experts had arrived at the site a few days ago to assess the radiation situation there.

In a telephone call with Director General Grossi early today, 12 March, the Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev confirmed that a limited number of the company’s experts were present at the Zaporizhzhya NPP in south-eastern Ukraine, but he denied that Rosatom had taken operational control nor that it intended for the plant to be under Rosatom’s “management system”.

Rosatom Director General Likhachev confirmed the site power supply situation and said work was being carried out to restore the lost power lines but in a way not to put at risk the existing supplies, and therefore additional fuel supplies for back-up diesel generators were being brought in, in case they would be needed. He added that other supplies for the plant could also be delivered.

Director General Grossi has from the beginning of the conflict expressed grave concern about the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. He has proposed an agreed framework to ensure the safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, which he discussed in his recent meetings in Antalya, Turkey with the Ukrainian and Russian Foreign Ministers Dmytro Kuleba and Sergei Lavrov respectively. In addition, he is preparing detailed technical proposals on how the IAEA can assist in this regard, coordinating closely with all relevant parties. Director General Grossi said that the agreed framework must be concluded urgently and he added that in its absence no IAEA on-site assistance could be provided.

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/update-19-iaea…

Jaak