Occupiers build unknown construction near spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The occupiers are building an unknown construction at the site of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) without any permission; moreover, they are not letting the plant’s personnel go to the construction site. 

Source: a statement by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. 

Quote: "The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has detected the violation of Ukrainian laws, norms, rules, and standards of nuclear and radiation safety at the site of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel (DSFSNF), which is one of the seven nuclear units at the ZNPP.

This particularly refers to unauthorised building of an unknown construction by Russia’s occupation forces at the site of the DSFSNF at the ZNPP, which belongs to the State Entreprise National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom; additionally, this is about the Russians not letting the ZNPP’s personnel access the construction site," the Inspectorate stated. 

They have pointed out that such actions violate a licence to conduct activity at the stage of life cycle "exploitation of a nuclear facility the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant"; also, it violates Clause 1.9 of Requirements for Nuclear Facilities Modifications and Safety Assessment Procedures, validated by Decree No.4 of the State Committee for Nuclear Regulation on 10 January 2005.

"The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine demands restriction of using the DSFSNF in order to remove the above-mentioned violations, according to Art.25 of the Law of Ukraine On the Use of Nuclear Energy and Radiation Safety, the Order of Conducting State Monitoring Compliance with Nuclear and Radiation Safety Requirements, approved by a Decree No.824 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 13 November 2013, and the Regulation on the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine," the Inspectorate added.

Thus, the Decree of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine from 28 October 2022 prohibits conducting any construction or starting-up and adjustment works that concern reconstruction and modernisation. The Energoatom [Ukraine’s state-owned company that runs all nuclear power plants in this country] has been instructed to take measures to preserve conditions necessary for work safety and health of the personnel, as well as environmental protection. 

Background:

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate has stated that Russia is conducting illegal constructions at the ZNPP and called on the IAEA to check this. 

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