Russians want to put ZNPP unit 6 on hot shutdown

The Russians are grossly violating the operating conditions of unit 6 of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) by putting it into a hot shutdown state.

According to Ukrinform, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) reported this.

"The occupation administration of ZNPP decided to put ZNPP unit 4 into a cold shutdown state. Meanwhile, the occupiers plan to transfer ZNPP unit 6 to the hot shutdown state. Such actions are a gross violation of the terms of the license EO 000196, which provides for the operation of ZNPP unit 6 only in the cold shutdown state”, the statement said.

The SNRIU emphasized that irresponsible actions of the occupiers to warm up both unit 4 and unit 6, in the absence of appropriate maintenance and repair of ZNPP equipment over the past year and a significant shortage of personnel, have a negative impact on the safety of nuclear facilities at the plant site. The activities of the Russians pose additional risks of failures of equipment, systems and elements important for safety. As a result, there is a risk of initiating transient processes that could lead to disruptions in normal operation and accidents, including severe damage to nuclear fuel.

"All illegal actions of the Russian occupiers at ZNPP, in particular, ignoring the terms of the operating licenses, are taking place despite the presence of the IAEA permanent monitoring mission at the nuclear power plant," the SNRIU emphasizes.

The inspectorate reminded that the only way to return to safe operation of ZNPP is for Russia to implement the IAEA Board of Governors' resolution calling on the aggressor to immediately withdraw military and other personnel from ZNPP and return the plant to the control of the Ukrainian government.

As reported, an incident with water leakage from the first circuit to the second circuit occurred at unit 4 of ZNPP due to the criminal actions of the invaders.

ZNPP has been under occupation since March 4, 2022. During this time, the Russians have repeatedly violated nuclear safety principles by deploying military equipment on the territory of ZNPP, mining the territory and terrorizing the plant's personnel.