Ukraine does not have complete information about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, because the IAEA report lacks data
Kyiv • UNN
The State Inspection stated that Ukraine is unable to conduct investigations at the Zaporizhzhia NPP due to limited IAEA reports. The safety reassessment of power unit No. 3 has also been disrupted.
Ukraine is unable to properly investigate operational events at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) due to a lack of complete information. The only source of data remains a limited report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This is stated in the report of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine on the state of nuclear and radiation safety for 2024.
Details
According to official data, 17 reports on operational events at nuclear power plants in Ukraine, as well as 4 additional reports, were considered during 2024. However, all data on the ZNPP, which is under the control of Russian occupation forces, comes exclusively from IAEA reports. These documents do not contain a sufficient amount of technical and analytical details necessary for conducting a thorough analysis of incidents or formulating reasoned conclusions.
In accordance with current legislation and nuclear safety standards, responsibility for recording and monitoring all operational events at the ZNPP is assigned to NNEGC "Energoatom" as the operating organization. However, due to the occupation of the plant, the company is effectively deprived of access to the site and is unable to fully fulfill its obligations.
The report states that no cases of exceeding the established standards for emissions of gaseous aerosol substances, water discharges of radioactive materials, as well as the content of radionuclides in surface waters were recorded at the ZNPP during 2024. However, this information is based solely on unverified sources and cannot be considered completely reliable.
In addition, the Ukrainian side does not possess critical data, in particular, on the total index of gaseous aerosol emissions, the volume of discharges into cooling ponds, as well as the radiation composition of water for 2023–2024. This situation makes it impossible to conduct an environmental assessment of the state of the environment in the area of the station.
The situation is complicated by the fact that in March 2024, a planned safety re-evaluation of power unit No. 3, which is a necessary condition for justifying the extension of its service life, was not carried out. The occupation of the facility by Russian troops makes it impossible to carry out this and other routine measures. Preparatory work for the long-term operation of power units No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6, including the re-evaluation of their safety, was also stopped.
Thus, due to the lack of control over the ZNPP and limited access to comprehensive information, the Ukrainian side is actually blocked from ensuring proper monitoring and response to potential threats, which poses a serious danger to both national and international nuclear safety.
Let us remind you
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights, Halyna Tretyakova, during a meeting with representatives of the International Labor Organization, stated about violations of labor rights at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.