Ukrainians and Europeans woke up in fear on Friday morning. Reading the news, they learned that during the night Russian tanks fired on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye, causing a fire. While memories of April 1986 and the Chernobyl explosion are still vivid, the incident immediately raised fears of a new nuclear disaster on the continent. We are taking stock of this plant at the heart of all concerns this Friday.
What are the capacities of the Zaporozhye power plant?
Located in southern Ukraine, on the Dnieper River, the Zaporozhye power plant is the most powerful in Europe. It consists of six reactors, the first of which was put into operation in 1985, and the last ten years later. According to Soviet design, these reactors have an expected service life of between forty and sixty years.
Its total capacity is nearly 6,000 megawatts, which allows it to power about four million homes. In addition, in normal times, the site produces one-fifth of the country’s electricity and almost half of its nuclear energy. By comparison, the most powerful nuclear power plant in France and the second in Europe, Gravelines, has a capacity of 5,460 MW for the same number of reactors.
Is the Zaporozhye power plant comparable to the one in Chernobyl?
Located 525 kilometers from each other, the two plants have similarities but also differences. Just like those at Chernobyl, every reactor in Zaporozhye has a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. However, their characteristics differ. The design of pressurized water reactors in Zaporozhye comes from those mounted on nuclear submarines. They are considered one of the safest.
central graphics ukraine – Sophie Ramis, Jean-Michel CORNU, Kenan OGIARD / AFP
On the other hand, the reactors work thanks to a steam system heated by the heart, which once contaminated with nuclear energy is not used to turn the turbines, but to heat another circuit. The technique allows maintaining a relatively low level of radioactivity for employees of the plant.
Is the situation in Zaporozhye under control?
Following the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2014, Kyiv organized to secure its nuclear facilities. The government has developed security protocols with regular inspections, vulnerability assessments and the implementation of automated data control systems. However, “nuclear power plants are generally not designed to withstand situations in a war zone,” said Yves Marinyak, a nuclear expert at RTL’s Négawatt Institute, fearing that damage to the reactors would lead to a release of radioactivity.
Map of Ukraine with the location of the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye and the regions controlled by Russia on March 3 – SIMON MALFATO, SABRINA BLANCHAR, AUDE GENET, CLÉA PÉCULIER, KENAN AUGEARD
Still a hypothetical scenario, as “the beacons tell us that there is no increase in radioactivity around, which is reassuring,” Barbara Pompili told France Info. On Friday morning, the radiation background around the site was 0.1 microsieverts per hour, according to the plant’s operator. That’s less than flying an airplane or an X-ray. And very, very far from the speeds of 300 sieverts per hour observed during the Chernobyl disaster. This Friday, the Ukrainian regulator assured that of the six reactors, only one is working, four others are in the cooling phase, and the latter is off.
What can we expect next?
On Friday morning, Ukrainian firefighters managed to contain the fire, which “fortunately” broke out only in an administrative building. But Russian troops would initially prevent them from intervening. “We are in unimaginable scenarios that could get to the worst,” Yves Marignac said on the radio. Following the attack, the Ukrainian Nuclear Inspection Agency said Zaporizhia was “occupied by the Russian armed forces”, but the plant’s staff continued to “monitor the power units” and ensure their operation.
On the spot, however, it is clear that the fears did not go away at the same time as the flames. “Doctors are already advising us to take iodine doses for prevention,” Nadia Goltvyanitsa, director of the Alliance française in Zaporizhia, told BFMTV. For his part, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the “irresponsible” attack and called for an end to the fighting.