Korikov: Restarting Zaporizhia NPP poses “unacceptable” risk of catastrophic accident

The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant remains in an extremely hazardous state, and any attempt to restart its reactors or reconnect it to another power grid would pose an unacceptable risk of a nuclear disaster, Ukraine’s top nuclear safety official warned.

Speaking at a briefing at Media Center Ukraine, Oleh Korikov, Head of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), said efforts to revive the plant’s operations could trigger catastrophic consequences on the scale of the Chornobyl or Fukushima accidents.

“We see no grounds at all, no one is addressing the safety shortcomings or restoring order at the site,” Korikov stated. “The IAEA and other industry experts agree. When they assess the current state of the plant, they see no conditions that would justify bringing even a single reactor back online.”

He warned that restarting any power unit would sharply increase the temperature of the reactor core and nuclear fuel, significantly heightening the risk of an accident involving a large-scale release of radioactive aerosols.

“Such a scenario could mirror what happened in Chornobyl or Fukushima,” Korikov said.

The SNRIU chief also addressed reports of russia’s alleged intentions to reconnect the plant, currently under russian occupation, to an alternative power grid.

“There are virtually no prerequisites for this,” he explained. “Zaporizhia NPP remains connected to Ukraine’s power grid, which is synchronized with the European power system. To switch grids would require a total blackout of the plant, an extremely dangerous move from a nuclear and radiation safety perspective.”

Korikov stressed that both the IAEA and other international experts are well aware of the risks, especially given the ongoing threat of military activity near the facility.

“I don’t see how this could be safely done when shelling and combat operations around the site are still a regular occurrence,” he added.

Korikov also noted that the IAEA and the broader international community stand with Ukraine in insisting the plant must remain in cold shutdown mode.

“There is consensus that Zaporizhia NPP must continue to stay cold,” he said.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news