UKRAINE: 3 questions - 3 answers, part 6: Nuclear power plants and nuclear threat

The war in Ukraine has been going on for several days now, and new questions keep reaching us - including those related to nuclear threats in connection with Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

This time, the answers come from Colonel Jürgen Schlechter, the head of the ABC Defense Center of the Federal Army, which deals with atomic, biological, and chemical threats.

Bundesheer Expert's Statement:

Which nuclear power plants does Ukraine operate and in what condition are they?

Ukraine operates 15 so-called pressurized water reactors at four locations (Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, South Ukraine, Zaporizhia). These reactors produce more than 50 percent of the country's total electricity, with two additional reactors under construction. Currently, nine out of 15 power reactors are connected to the grid, and the power supply is stable.

All reactors in Chernobyl have now been shut down. The state monitoring network in the exclusion zone of Chernobyl is no longer available online. There is a research reactor in the capital city of Kyiv. According to Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the operational safety of the 15 active power plants is ensured.

Two storage facilities for low and intermediate-level radioactive waste (near Kyiv and Kharkiv) have been affected by combat actions, but no radioactive substances have been released. Intentional release through targeted shelling of a reactor is considered unlikely.

Can Ukrainian nuclear power plants be damaged by combat actions - even unintentionally - to the extent that a major nuclear accident occurs?

The nuclear power plants are equipped with multiple safety systems designed to protect them from earthquakes, sabotage, aircraft crashes, or combat actions. Rapid shutdown and emergency cooling systems are intended to control reactor accidents - including preventing a worst-case scenario, such as a major accident.

The probability of a core meltdown and rapid destruction of the containment is very low. The term "containment" refers to the gas-tight and pressure-resistant enclosure around a nuclear reactor, which ensures that radioactive substances do not escape uncontrollably even after an accident.

However, reactors 1 and 2 in Rivne do not have such a "containment" but a pressure relief system that offers little protection against external influences. Technically, these two reactor blocks would therefore pose the highest risk, but due to their location, this risk is considered low.

Special case "Chernobyl": Who is now in charge of the new sarcophagus put into operation at the end of 2016? Can the Russians handle the Western technology used there?

In the event of the destruction of the protective shell, there could be a low, locally confined release of radioactive substances. The currently slightly elevated radiation levels were likely caused by intense traffic movements in the vicinity of the reactor.

Ukrainian companies and authorities are responsible for operating the nuclear power plants, disposing of nuclear waste, and monitoring radiation levels. Access to the exclusion zone around the disabled reactor was controlled by the Ukrainian militia. On February 24, 2022, the authorities lost control of the area around Chernobyl and all facilities after several hours of gunfire. Since the protective shell around the reactor is a fixed installation, it can be assumed that Russian nuclear experts can take over control.

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