12 Dec 2022 11:48

Eight out of 9 NPP power units located on Ukraine's controlled territory operating in Ukrainian power system - State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate head

MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - Eight out of nine power units of the nuclear power plants located in the Ukrainian-controlled territory are again operating in the energy system after the November 23 blackout, State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate head Oleg Korikov said.

"Two weeks ago, all of the eight power units operating at the time were shut down in an emergency. As the Ukrainian energy system was being repaired, the operation of the power units was restored in full, and today eight of the nine power units located in the Ukrainian-controlled territory are operating," Korikov said during a national telethon last Saturday, according to Ukrainian media reports.

He noted that the NPP power units now cover about half of the current electricity consumption.

At the same time, the head of the inspectorate emphasized that there had been no violations of the boundaries of safe operation during the shutdown of the units, and the power consumption of the NPPs was switched to its own reserve diesel-electric power plants.

"The possibility of equipment failure, as well as the likelihood of personnel errors is growing. Although it should be noted that our power units are stable enough and the personnel are highly qualified, and thus, from our point of view, the shutdown of the power units two weeks ago should not substantially affect the safety of the nuclear power plants," the head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said.

As for the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which is not under Kiev's control, Korikov said, "From a producer of electricity, and it used to produce from 20% to 25% of annual consumption, the Zaporozhye NPP has turned into a consumer, as all of its six power units are currently shut down."

The Zaporozhye NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of installed capacity. Its six VVER-1000 power units were built under the B-320 project (total capacity of about 6 GW). The first unit was commissioned in December 1984, and the sixth unit in October 1995.

Prior to the crisis, there were four operating nuclear power plants in Ukraine, with 15 power units equipped with water-water power reactors, with a total installed electric capacity of 13,835 GW. Apart from the Zaporozhye NPP, these are the Rovno NPP (four power units), the Southern Ukrainian NPP (three power units), and the Khmelnitsky NPP (two power units).