Restart of Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant risks disaster, Reuters reports

The restart of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), currently under Russian control, could lead to a serious nuclear accident, Reuters reports, citing Ukraine’s state company Energoatom.

“No one at the Chornobyl power plant deliberately wanted a disaster to happen. But this happened because the equipment was unable to operate in the conditions in which it found itself. The situation here is exactly the same,” said Pavlo Kovtoniuk, acting chairman of Energoatom, in comments to Reuters.

All six ZNPP reactors have remained shut since the Russian occupation in March 2022. Last year, Moscow announced plans to restart at least one reactor, and the Russian-appointed plant director claimed it could produce electricity through 2027.

Kovtoniuk warned that Russia lacks the necessary equipment and spare parts. 

“Russia will not be able to launch the station. The main equipment and the control, protection and monitoring systems are all Ukrainian. This means that it’s a Ukrainian project, and spare parts are manufactured at Ukrainian enterprises. Without spare parts and without the project, the station simply cannot be operated,” he said.

Although the plant was built during the Soviet era, modern Russian technology is incompatible with its systems. To restart it, Rosatom would need to replace American nuclear fuel, modify reactor control systems, and resolve cooling issues caused by water shortages.

Kovtoniuk compared the risks to the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, emphasizing that even without malicious intent, any Russian attempt to operate the plant without Ukrainian equipment and expertise could be catastrophic. After the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023, there is not enough water to safely cool even a single reactor unit.