In the midst of Ukraine’s acute energy crisis, the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant has emerged as a crucial component of the country’s war effort. As Russian forces relentlessly target Ukraine’s infrastructure, this vast facility in western Ukraine is now responsible for providing at least 60% of the nation’s electricity.
Pavlo Kovtonyuk, the head of Energoatom, Ukraine’s National Nuclear Energy Company, warns that these installations are under constant threat of Russian attack. “At present, Russia is trying to attack substations that connect nuclear power plants to the grid, to shut down nuclear energy,” he says. “This is nuclear terrorism, because the connection between the systems and the nuclear power plant is what ensures their safe and reliable operation.”
The situation is particularly dire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, which has been under Russian control since the early stages of the war. Ukrainian workers who managed to escape the facility paint a chaotic picture, with “maintenance work on the equipment is practically not happening” and Russian soldiers present on the premises.
Energoatom’s director, Pavlo Kovtonyuk, warns that a repeat of the Chernobyl disaster is a real threat if the Zaporizhzhia plant is not properly maintained. “If Russia brings the situation to the point of core melting and melting of fuel in the spent fuel pools, the contamination could be greater [than Chernobyl],” he says.
Ukrainian leaders and nuclear officials are adamant that Russia must not be allowed to control the Zaporizhzhia plant, as it would have dire consequences not only for Ukraine’s energy needs but also for the wider region. With evidence that Russia has already begun building power lines to occupied territories and Russia itself, the future of this critical facility remains a contentious issue in the ongoing conflict.
