If Russians don't switch ZNPP reactor unit 5 into cold shutdown, radiation may be released – Ukraine’s Energoatom

This is reported by Ukraine's state-run nuclear company, Energoatom. 

The company explains that power unit 5 was commissioned more than 34 years ago, and timely and high-quality maintenance and repair of equipment is essential to maintain it, without which its operation becomes dangerous.

Energoatom notes that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, power unit 5 at ZNPP has been operating at power levels, and since September 2022, the occupying forces have been maintaining its operation in a 'hot shutdown' state.

The enemy is ignoring the requirements for the operation of the power unit, including planned maintenance schedules of various levels. It is also noted that the service life of some equipment that is subject to immediate replacement has expired. In particular, more than 1,000 units of thermal and mechanical equipment and more than 100 units of electrical equipment.

"The scope of these violations has serious consequences and increases the risk of system failures that could lead to an emergency many times over. In this case, European countries may be exposed to radiation," the warning says.

It is noted that Energoatom has repeatedly called for the switch of unit 5 to a cold shutdown, and last week a letter was sent to the IAEA, but the Russian troops ignored this call.

Earlier, on July 6, Energoatom wrote that the enemy was going to put ZNPP unit 4 into a 'hot shutdown' state, which could result in the plant lacking cooling and lead to an accident.

The company explained that such a situation could arise due to the dehydration of the Kakhovka HPP, as the available resources are not enough to cool more power units. At the same time, the invading Russian forces deliberately do not comply with the decision of the Ukrainian regulator and do not put power Unit 5 into a cold shutdown. 

The message was later deleted.

Situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian forces occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP in late February 2022. Since then, there has been a constant presence of personnel and military equipment, which the invading Russian troops store in machine rooms and occasionally deploy to positions for shelling the territories of the Nikopol district in the Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the other side of the Kakhovka Reservoir.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a monitoring mission at the station, which is supposed to ensure that the nuclear power plant is not used as a military base, that it is not attacked, and that no fire is initiated from the NPP. Power outages at the nuclear power plant occur regularly though. Occupiers began importing explosives to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant last year.

In May 2023 information emerged that the Russian forces had placed explosives in the turbine room of the  ZNPP’s fourth power unit. Additionally, the invading Russian forces have nearly completely destroyed the emergency readiness and response system at the nuclear power plant.

On June 22, the Director-General of the IAEA, after visiting ZNPP Grossi, stated that the situation at the plant is extremely unstable. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that intelligence had received information that Russia was considering a scenario for a terrorist act at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which would cause a radiation release. He also emphasized that the world has sufficient strength to prevent any radiation incidents and even a radiation catastrophe – action must be taken and pressure must be applied. However, the spokesperson for the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, called Zelenskyy's statement a lie.

The Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, stated that Russia has completed preparations for a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

On June 29, large-scale exercises were held in four regions of Ukraine to prepare for a possible terrorist attack on the ZNPP.

On June 30, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported that the occupying Russian forces were gradually leaving the ZNPP, and that Ukrainian employees who had signed a contract with Rosatom also received evacuation recommendations. In addition, the plant's staff received an order to blame Ukraine in any emergency situation.

On July 4, the Ukrainian Armed Forces officially reported that Russian troops were preparing a provocation at ZNPP: Russians placed suspicious devices similar to explosives on the roof of power units 3 and 4.

At the same time, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, said on July 6 that the threat of a terrorist attack at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was decreasing.

However, the president of Ukraine's state-run nuclear company, Energoatom, later said that about 700 Russians were currently at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The plant is mined, and machine gun nests are placed on the roofs of the power units.