Energoatom rejects joint use of ZNPP with Russia
Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)
It would be “absurd” to try and operate the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) jointly with Russia, state nuclear operator Energoatom said on Feb. 6.
“Politicians may be discussing possible options for joint use of the ZNPP,” Energoatom CEO Pavlo Kovtonyuk said at a press briefing, referring to reported U.S. attempts to broker a compromise peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
“But from the standpoint of technical specialists and Energoatom as the operator of all Ukrainian NPPs, it is impossible. Only Ukraine can operate the ZNPP. Only Ukraine holds the licenses for all its components, from the reactors to the control systems.”
Kovtonyuk added that Russia’s attempts to obtain a license to use the plant are without merit, as Moscow lacks the necessary design documentation and has no license to handle Westinghouse nuclear fuel used in the plant’s reactors.
On Jan. 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said control over the ZNPP is a key territorial issue in peace negotiations. “The question of control over the Zaporizhzhya plant, like the matter of Ukraine’s eastern regions, falls under territorial issues,” he said.
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