The level of the threat of an accident at the ZNPP is like Chernobyl or Fukushima: Energoatom revealed the details

The level of danger of an accident at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP in Energodar remains high. It is currently rated at 7-8 points out of 10. This one is comparable to such famous nuclear accidents of the past as Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Petro Kotin, head of the National Atomic Energy Generating Company (NAEC) “Energoatom”, told about this.

The fuel left at the ZNPP can still generate electricity and lead to the release of radioactive substances into the environment. At the same time, the equipment at the station is “completely degraded”: repairs are not carried out, the fuel exceeds the permissible duration of stay in the reactor, there is no external power supply, etc.

“If today we are talking about 7-8, then tomorrow it could be 8. Because the main issue is uncertainty. There are many factors that individually may not lead to an accident, but when you take them all together, the cumulative effect gives danger. It was at Fukushima, it was at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,” Kotin said.

In addition, the head of “Energoatom” reminded that all six reactors of the ZNPP are currently loaded with fuel. There is also already spent fuel, which is in the near-reactor holding pools. And there is also a dry storage of spent nuclear fuel – there are more than 150 containers with this fuel. That is, the amount of nuclear materials at the station is quite significant.

“This is a very large amount of nuclear material. I can’t even tell you where else there is such a large amount of nuclear material as at the ZNPP. This fuel can still generate electricity, or lead to the release of radioactive substances into the environment and a radiation accident,” – Kotin noted.

According to him, today it is difficult to say in what condition the ZNPP is in. One thing is clear: this state is very bad. “Energoatom” and the IAEA assess it as “very heavy and deep”.

“The last problem is water for cooling the reactors. Now it is not available. It is necessary either to fill the Kakhov reservoir, or to build some pumping stations on the Dnieper riverbed and draw it to the station, and this is a very large amount of water. According to optimistic estimates, the construction of such a station will take six months . And this is without taking into account all the other security problems,” Kotin summarized.

The situation around the ZNPP

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Energodar has been under Russian occupation for exactly two years: since March 4, 2022. All this time, the ZNPP actually does not work normally, it is disconnected from the general energy system of Ukraine, and its general technical condition leaves us waiting for the best.

Almost the entire territory of the station is currently mined. It also stores ammunition and weapons of the occupiers. At the IAEA, in turn, there are constant difficulties with visiting the ZNPP.

Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It is also the third largest nuclear power plant in the world.