On October 10, 2023, President of SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" Petro Kotin held a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda.
During the meeting, the acceleration of the global development of nuclear industry, the potential partnership of countries in the nuclear field, nuclear and radiation safety at the site of the temporarily seized ZNPP, as well as the joint development of small modular reactor (SMR) technologies, were discussed.
"The largest in Europe Zaporizhzhya NPP has been occupied by the russian military since the beginning of the full-fledged invasion," Energoatom’s President said. "Having captured the power plant, they brought rosatom representatives there who showed a complete inability to not only restart the ZNPP but even simply to maintain it in proper condition and ensure nuclear and radiation safety. The power plant equipment is degrading, so after the deoccupation we will need the assistance of our partners to return the power plant to normal condition."
Petro Kotin noted that by such actions rosatom demonstrates to the whole world its own incompetence, and therefore – its inability to properly operate or build nuclear power units under current conditions.
"Add to this their reckless support for the actions of the russian military, which threaten the nuclear and radiation safety of the largest in Europe Zaporizhzhya NPP, and it becomes clear that rosatom should not have a place in the global programs for the development of nuclear industry. There are also many questions about how these incompetent people operate nuclear power units in russia itself and how this threatens the civilized world," Petro Kotin summed up.
Kuninori Matsuda reminded that Japan has stood on the side of Ukraine since the first days of the full-fledged invasion of the russian federation. Both the government and the public sector of Japan, he added, are ready to recover Ukraine after the war, and this cooperation is currently a priority for his country. Even more: Japan plans to play a key role in the demining of the Zaporizhzhya NPP site and all de-occupied territories of Ukraine.
During the meeting, Energoatom’s Vice President Hartmut Jacob spoke about the progress of the Company's corporatization. Kuninori Matsuda is convinced that the transformation of a state-owned enterprise into a joint-stock company is also important for the further development of cooperation with Japanese companies.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Energoatom’s President thanked Kuninori Matsuda and all Japanese partners for their constant support of Ukraine, including its energy sector, during the challenging times of the russian military aggression and for their help in establishing ties with the leading companies of the land of the Rising Sun.
"The development of the nuclear industry is a priority for both countries," Petro Kotin highlighted. "We have ambitious plans for the development of the nuclear industry in accordance with the program of the government and the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine for the development of energy sector until 2050. Together with you, with all international partners, we will move towards a better future faster."
