A recent landmine explosion cut the main power supply connection to one of the reactors of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), in the latest incident underlining the fragile nuclear safety and security situation at the facility during the current military conflict, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said. The explosion that occurred the previous day outside the ZNPP’s perimeter fence, disconnected the 750 kilovolt (kV) external power line between plant’s switchyard and the main electrical transformer of reactor unit 4.
The unit is instead receiving the electricity it needs for cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions from a back-up line connecting the ZNPP to the switchyard of the nearby thermal power plant, Grossi said, citing information provided by the team of IAEA experts present at the NPP.
The IAEA team also said there had been shelling in the vicinity of the plant in recent days, following a period of reduced military activity. On 30 October, shelling near the thermal power plant switchyard temporarily disconnected one of the ZNPP’s three back-up power lines through which the town of Energodar has been receiving electricity. This 150 kV power line was re-connected later the same day.
“Operating staff at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are working hard in very challenging circumstances to prevent the kind of repeated power outages we saw in early October,” Grossi said. “While their determined efforts have had some positive results, the plant’s power situation remains extremely vulnerable.”
Grossi has engaged in high-level talks with both Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks aimed at agreeing and implementing a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP as soon as possible.
Of the ZNPP’s six reactors, unit 5 is in hot shutdown to produce steam needed for the plant’s operations and unit 6 is now also being heated up for the same purpose. The four other units remain in cold shutdown.
Director General Grossi also repeated his concern about the increasingly difficult and stressful working conditions for the plant’s Ukrainian operating personnel, who are being requested by Russia to sign new employment contracts with an entity it has set up, replacing their current contracts with the Ukrainian national operator, Energoatom. Russia took formal control of ZNPP following a referendum in which the region voted by a large majority to join the Russian Federation. On 5 October Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the transfer of nuclear facilities at the ZNPP to federal ownership. He also instructed creation of a federal state unitary enterprise "Zaporozhye NPP", to take over the plant. On 14 October, the head of Energodar, Alexander Volga, told TASS that ZNPP had begun working according to Russian standards.
However the change of status is not recognised by the UN and Grossi still considers the plant to be Ukrainian. He warned that the situation could affect both the availability of key personnel and operational decision-making, with a potentially negative impact on nuclear safety and security, increasing the risk of a nuclear accident at the ZNPP.
Grossi said the IAEA team at ZNPP has been informed about the recent release of one of two Ukrainian plant personnel who were detained some two weeks ago. He is reportedly in good health. Grossi welcomed the news of the release and made an appeal for the other staff member to be released soon.
Meanwhile, Renat Karchaa, adviser to the general director of Russian nuclear utility Rosenergoatom said on 31 October that about half of ZNPP employees have now signed with the new Russian operating company operating company. "To date, about 2,300 people have signed contracts. Before the start of the special operation, there were about 11,000 employees at the station, but at the moment there are a maximum of 5.000," he said. Karchaa said that the salary of the staff will be increased by an average of 30%, all the necessary conditions have been created. He stressed that those who had signed new contracts were “not just engineering and technical staff, but managers, specialists with unique qualifications related to ensuring nuclear safety” and there were no staff shortages. "We currently have a reserve of employees in unique specialisations of 1,500 people," he explained.
He added that most employees had been given time to consider the new contracts until 30 November 30, while the deadline for specialists responsible for ensuring nuclear safety must make a decision before 10-15 November. According to him, employees who do not sign the contract still continue to work. “We explain to people that there will be no reprisals, or obstacles in case of their refusing to enter into laborr relations with the operating organisation - this is not our style, not our methods." He alleged that Ukrainian Energoatom, on the other hand, had been threatening staff with reprisals for co-operating with Russia.
Energoatom said on 2 November that it had helped to employ 179 ZNPP workers who had left “the occupation”. It added: “The company ensured the transfer of employees of ZNPP plant to other domestic NPPs: 37 - to the Rivne NPP, 26 - to the South Ukrainian NPP, 24 - to the Khmelnytsky NPP; and 92 – employed in the Directorate and other separate divisions of Energoatom.” In another post it said: “We would like to remind you that if an employee of ZNPP voluntarily signs a contract with the fake JSC "Operating Organisation - Zaporizhzhya NPP", which is managed by Rosatom, such an employee will be dismissed from his position at Energoatom and deprived of all payments and social security. Energoatom highly appreciates all the efforts of the courageous employees of the ZNPP, who continue to ensure nuclear and radiation safety in the conditions of occupation and constant pressure from the occupiers and do not agree to sign any contracts with the enemy.”
Image: The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine (courtesy of Energoatom)
