The situation at ZNPP – Hryhorii Plachkov told about the possible negative outlook for the plant 

Hryhorii Plachkov, Head of the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation (2017–2021), noted during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform that nuclear reactor core flooding is one of the adverse outcomes ZNPP could face. 

“In my opinion, the most catastrophic scenario that can occur is the core flooding. And this will be the scenario when Ukraine regains control over the nuclear power plant, and I do not doubt that Ukraine’s government will restore power plant management and regulatory control. The process of returning NPP to commercial operation and connecting nuclear power units to the integrated power system of Ukraine is not a quick one. Either we will have to repair ZNPP for a very long time, otherwise being unable to repair it. Secondly, these are quite big risks since a nuclear power plant is not only connected to one single power line but also switches to a backup power line,” he explained.

At the same time, Hryhorii Plachkov emphasized the issue of the Kakhovka Reservoir and the Kakhovka HPP dam. According to the expert, the Zaporizhia thermal power station cooling pond and collector remained the only solution to cool the reactor cores.

“Therefore, there will be no accident comparable to Fukushima or Chornobyl in case of the lack of electricity and cooling pond capacity. But a localized accident could occur at Zaporizhia NPP,” he warned.

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