The European Commission is working on a “contingency plan” in the event that Russia decides to attack the nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which has 15 operational reactors in 4 plants, in addition to the exclusion zone of Chernobylwhere there are 4 closed reactors.
“Our nuclear regulator is preparing a contingency plan for the possible threat of the Russian military attacking Ukrainian nuclear power plants. As you know, they already use Chernobyl as a refuge for their heavy weapons,” European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said Thursday in an appearance before the European Parliament’s Energy and Industry Committee.
EU prepared for Russian actions
In Ukraine there are 15 nuclear reactors in 4 atomic plants, including Zaporizhia, one of the largest in Europe and now under control of the Russian army.
The International Atomic Energy Agency also warned on Thursday of the risk posed by military activities together with nuclear infrastructure.
Similarly, the European Group of Nuclear Safety Regulators of the EU (ENSREG) recalled that “the attack and threat against nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
They will closely monitor the safety of power plants
On Monday, the energy ministers of the EU countries agreed in an extraordinary council held in Brussels “to closely monitor the safety of nuclear power plants in Ukraine” and endorsed the position of ENSREG.
Ukraine’s atomic energy regulator announced that nuclear complex workers remained at their posts. He also noted that the facilities had not been damaged.
The complex consists not only of reactor 4 with its containment building, but also reactors 1, 2 and 3. As well as the SNF-1 and SNF-2 used fuel storage buildings.
Some 22,000 units of nuclear fuel remain in Chernobyl.