Russian occupiers not conduct all necessary repairs at Zaporizhzhia NPP – Energoatom

Necessary repairs and inspections are not conducted in full at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) due to the lack of competence among the personnel hired by Russian occupiers.

The relevant statement was made by Energoatom National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine Acting Chairman Petro Kotin in a commentary to Radio NV, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Energoatom’s chief, due to the lack of competent personnel, Russians hire anyone willing to work at Zaporizhzhia NPP.

“This is a big threat to the equipment. Due to the incompetent actions of such personnel, equipment failures are being constantly recorded, and the situation is continuously worsening. Repairs and routine checks are not carried out in full,” Kotin told.

In his words, the equipment of the nuclear power plant requires regular inspection according to the schedule.

Moreover, as power unit 4 at Zaporizhzhia NPP has recently been transitioned to cold shutdown, Energoatom is concerned over serious defects that might have been discovered there.

A reminder that, for the first time since late 2022, all six reactors of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) had been transitioned to cold shutdown. Power unit 4 completed this procedure on April 13, 2024.

Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022. During that period, Russians were repeatedly violating the principles of nuclear and radiation safety by laying mines within the territory of the plant, preventing competent personnel from performing their duties, and disconnecting the plant from Ukraine’s energy system.

Since September 2022, the IAEA mission has been staying at the plant on a regular basis. However, Russians prevent the IAEA experts from gaining full access to the entire territory of Zaporizhzhia NPP.