On August 9, 2023, at the invitation of the American Nuclear Society, President of SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" Petro Kotin joined the plenary meeting of the annual Utility Working Conference (UWC) and Vendor Technology Expo, which is attended by nuclear industry’s brightest minds.
The Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo is aimed at discussing key developments, successes, opportunities and needs in the nuclear sector. In particular, during plenaries, panels, and work sessions the ever-evolving landscape of energy demand, environmental policies, and extreme weather impacts, which the industry must continuously navigate to supply the nation with safe, reliable power, are examined.
This year’s theme is Building Resiliency in a Rapidly Changing World.
During his speech, Petro Kotin told colleagues about the most dangerous situation at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the challenges faced by operating nuclear plants in Ukraine under martial law, international support and future plans.
Energoatom President stressed that apart from the military, Rosatom has also been an integral part of russian occupation mechanism.
"Rosatom is also responsible for this international crime. Since the beginning of the occupation, Rosatom has been trying to take full control of the ZNPP, replace its personnel and force them to work for aggressor country. The russians continue to terrorize and torture NPP employees, and block access of the licensed management and other staff to the site. The personnel are working under constant psychological and physical pressure. Because of that, the number of staff is constantly decreasing», Petro Kotin said.
>He noted that even the presence of the IAEA mission on the ZNPP site doesn’t stop occupiers from interference in plant design and decision-making.
Besides, "the aggressor continues to violate all seven pillars for nuclear safety and security defined by the IAEA. Moreover, because of the russian illegal presence and criminal actions there is a constant degradation of plant systems and equipment".
These criminal actions create serious risks for nuclear and radiation safety due to the long downtime of equipment, absence of proper maintenance and repair of safety related equipment, and insufficient number of the qualified staff at the plant.
For the time being, russia hasn’t implemented any of the demands of the Agency. They continue to ignore the IAEA Board’s resolutions calling on russia to return control over the ZNPP to Ukraine.
Petro Kotin drew the attention of the plenary meeting attendees to the need to take additional measures to force the aggressor state to implement these demands. "Rosatom is one of a very few russian state corporations that hasn’t been affected by international sanctions, although there are all reasons for that. Ukraine has already imposed sanctions on Rosatom and its affiliates, as well as their key individuals. We would greatly appreciate, if other countries and international organizations could take the necessary decisions to hold russia accountable for its crimes in the nuclear energy field", Energoatom President highlighted.
In his speech, he also spoke about the support of foreign government agencies, in particular the U.S. Department of Energy and USAID, which supply humanitarian aid to cover the needs of Ukrainian NPPs.
"We are receiving substantial support from our American partners, like Westinghouse, Holtec and many others. We are grateful to everyone who shares our concerns and assists us in ensuring safe and reliable operation of Ukrainian NPPs", Petro Kotin stressed.
Summing up, he noted: Ukrainian nuclear power professionals proved that our power plants are extremely robust, and nuclear energy is a reliable source of energy during this aggressive war of the russian federation against Ukraine. Despite the war and occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, nuclear plants in Ukraine keep producing over 55% of clean and cheap electricity in the country.
"Meanwhile, all our current expectations and hopes are directed at returning the Zaporizhzhya NPP under control of Ukraine. The situation there is unacceptable and should be resolved immediately. The only solution is full demilitarization and deoccupation of the ZNPP and its adjacent territories. This is a key prerequisite for restoring not only nuclear safety and security, but also respect to international law, Petro Kotin emphasized.
During the event, he also expressed confidence that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will make every effort to liberate peaceful Ukrainian cities and towns from the occupationists and called on the world nuclear community to stand with Ukraine along the way to Victory, so that, in particular, all ZNPP workers and their families could return to their native Enerhodar.
