Camilla Jessen
Russia ‘risks nuclear catastrophe’ by restarting a reactor at the Zaporozhye power plant: ‘It could affect the entire continent’.
Concerns are growing over nuclear safety in southern Ukraine after Russia signaled plans to restart a reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Pavlo Kovtoniuk, acting chairman of Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom, told The Times that restarting a reactor at the plant could trigger a dangerous incident.
He accused Moscow of “nuclear terrorism” and of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure linked to nuclear safety.
“There is a high probability of errors in the control of the reactor core,” Kovtoniuk said, arguing that Russian operators lack the necessary technical knowledge.
“Losing control of the fuel would cause a very dangerous nuclear incident… it could affect the entire continent.”
A plant on the front line
The Zaporizhzhia plant’s six reactors have been shut down since September 2022 for safety reasons.
Last month, Russia’s nuclear regulator Rostekhnadzor issued a licence allowing reactor 1 to resume operations.
The facility uses nuclear fuel supplied by the US company Westinghouse and relies on Ukrainian-designed safety systems. Kovtoniuk said Russia does not have the design documentation or operational guidelines required to manage them safely.
Moscow’s position
In announcing the licence, Rostekhnadzor said all technical safety standards had been met.
Rosatom director general Alexey Likhachev said the approval would allow electricity production to restart in the future and was vital for the occupied Zaporizhzhia region.
“The production of this plant will be a key pillar for the industrial recovery of the region once the situation normalizes,” Likhachev said, referring to territory Russia claimed to annex in 2022.
Staff under pressure
A former plant employee who fled the area told The Times that the licence should never have been granted.
Speaking anonymously, he said Russian teams did not understand key automation systems.
“They repair a pump, a valve, but everything is so miserable that it’s just a disaster,” he said.
Around 3,000 Ukrainian employees were forced to sign contracts with Rosatom, while about 400 refused.
Twelve of those who refused have been convicted on charges Ukraine says are fabricated.
Grid attacks continue
Kovtoniuk said ongoing Russian strikes on substations supplying Ukraine’s other nuclear plants further increased risks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency warned that deterioration of the power grid could undermine reactor cooling and other safety systems.
“Their goal is to terrorize the civilian population,” Kovtoniuk said, as winter temperatures drop well below freezing.
Sources: The Times, International Atomic Energy Agency
