Echoes of the earthquake in Turkey and other regions of the world were also felt in Ukraine. Minor tremors were detected by seismic monitoring systems of the Khmelnytskyy and South Ukraine NPPs.
All nuclear power plants in Ukraine are fitted with equipment recording tremors of the earth's crust. In real-time mode, the Main Center for Special Control monitors and registers any deviations from the seismic resistance norm in the area of nuclear power plants siting.
As noted by the President of Energoatom Petro Kotin, «all Ukrainian nuclear power plants were designed taking into account the seismic activity of the region. When choosing sites for construction, the safest areas were chosen. Domestic nuclear plants are capable of withstanding of up to seven scores.»
Furthermore, Ukrainian NPPs have emergency protection for power units: at six scores, the units are immediately shut down and transferred to a safe state.Studies of Energoatom seismic hazard were carried out subject to the international recommendations of the IAEA and approved by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. Every ten years, the safety of all reactors is reassessed for seismic resistance and, if necessary, additional measures are taken to protect the power units.
For reference:
Western experts use a scale considering the physical effects of destruction, rather than energy, as in the Richter scale. Therefore, 8-9 scores (recorded in Turkey) are equal to 6-7 scores on the Richter scale.
