The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is critical. The facility is experiencing a severe shortage of trained personnel, the radiation monitoring system is failing, and routine maintenance has not been carried out for years. This poses a serious threat to nuclear and radiation safety in both Ukraine and Europe. Oleg Korikov, Head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, announced this at a briefing, as reported by UNN.
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There is a shortage of personnel who have been trained and cleared for work. The radiation monitoring system has degraded - not all posts are working, and data is not being transmitted online.
Furthermore, according to him, routine technical maintenance is not being performed. Major repairs, which should have been carried out every four years, have not been conducted for longer than this period.
There isn't even an approved emergency plan to manage an accident or an emergency situation
He stresses that Russian troops, weapons, and explosives are currently present on the station's territory. The facility has been turned into a military base, from which attacks are launched on the territory of Ukraine.
The station has been turned into a staging ground for attacks on Mariupol, Nikopol, and other cities
Despite rumors that Russia is preparing to launch reactors and trying to connect the station to its energy system, Korikov notes that, fortunately, he sees no preconditions for this, as it could be extremely dangerous. Any statements about a possible launch are, in his words, nothing more than informational manipulation.
We do not see any preconditions for anyone to remedy these safety deficiencies. Reactor launch creates risks - fuel temperature rises, Fukushima-type accidents are possible
Such actions pose a threat not only locally but also to the entire regional energy security system. Ukraine remains legally responsible for the station, but effectively has no access to it.
Ukraine is deprived of the opportunity to fulfill its obligations, because the occupying forces do not allow us to the facility. IAEA does not have full access to important equipment. Even part of the premises is closed by the military
Ukrainian specialists who remained at the station are under pressure.
Some signed contracts under duress
Recall
Earlier, UNN wrote that the restart of reactors at the ZNPP is possible only after its return under the control of the Ukrainian regulator: 48 IAEA member states issued a statement.