Russians kick out the rest of Ukrainian staff from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

There are no Energoatom personnel left at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).

Source: Petro Kotin, Acting Chairman of the Energoatom Board, at an event dedicated to the second anniversary of the occupation of ZNPP, which took place on 4 March 2022, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "Our experienced staff is no longer present there. In February, the invaders drove out the last of our people who remained faithful to Ukraine and ensured security at the station," Kotin said.

According to him, the company had 360 employees at the power plant at the start of the year, but they have been denied access to the station.

According to Energoatom, 60% of shift managers of the power units (40 people) left the temporarily occupied territory, Ukraine terminated its labour contract with 12% (8 people), and 14% (9 people) had their passes revoked by the Russians and were refused employment as they would not sign contracts with the Russians. The same number of positions remain unfilled as of today.

"That is, they currently have only eight shift managers – people who are directly responsible for nuclear and radiation safety," Kotin said.

He emphasised that while Russian personnel are currently present at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, they are unable to operate the station reliably.

"Nuclear units at ZNPP have been modernised, projects differ significantly from Russian ones, and Russian personnel who have not passed Ukrainian licensing requirements cannot operate them reliably.

Furthermore, they recruited personnel from nearby cities, towns, who do not understand what a nuclear power plant is – they only saw it from a distance," said the head of Energoatom.

According to the company, at the beginning of 2022, almost 9,000 employees worked at the station.

Background: 

• On 5 March, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretary-General Rafael Grossi will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to learn about his vision for future work and ensuring the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
• The shelf life of the nuclear fuel used in ZNPP reactors will soon expire. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that there is no one to replace it if necessary.

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