UKRAINE NUCLEAR UPDATE — 3/6/2022, 9 pm (CST)
Gail Snyder, NEIS Board President
Ukraine has 4 sites with a total of 15 operational reactors, Chernobyl is also a nuclear site of concern because of the nuclear waste stored on site as well as the contaminated accident site.
Other locations throughout the country also have research reactors and/or use radioactive materials for other purposes such as medical applications. The letter of March 6th lists a number of concerns with a variety of such facilities being bombed.
This information is sourced mainly from IAEA updates which you can find here.
https://www.iaea.org/ukraine-conflict
IAEA recorded press conferences you can find here
https://www.youtube.com/c/IAEAvideo
The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has updates as well.
REGIONAL UPDATES:
3/6/2022:
Letter: The appeal of Ukraine to the UN, OSCE and the European Commission
“Ukraine calls on our international partners to do everything possible to prevent a global-scale nuclear disaster. “
This letter lists of number of problems and concerns, so many so that it would be best to read the letter rather than for us to extract pieces of it.
Link has pdf of the letter at the bottom of the page:
https://snriu.gov.ua/en/news/appeal-ukraine-un-osce-and-european-commission
MARIUPOL
Communications have also been lost with all enterprises and institutions in the port city of Mariupol that use Category 1-3 radiation sources and there was no information about their status, the regulator said. Such radioactive material can cause serious harm to people if not secured and managed properly. (IAEA Update 13)
KHARKIV
The research nuclear installation NSA “Neutron Source Based on a Subcritical Assembly Driven by a Linear Electron Accelerator” (NSA “Neutron Source”), located on the site of the National Research Center “Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology”, was under fire and some areas were damaged. The NSA “Neutron Source” was at the stage of physical start-up, during which the core was loaded with fresh nuclear fuel.
https://snriu.gov.ua/en/news/shelter-nsa-neutron-source
3/5/2022: The safety systems of Ukraine’s three other (minus ZAPORIZHZHYA) nuclear power plants were operating and the regulator continued to receive online monitoring data regarding radiation levels at the sites, which were also as usual. Six of their combined total of nine reactors were currently operating, the regulator said. (IAEA Update 12)
3/4/2022: Ukrainian negotiators have proposed a 30 mile conflict free zone around all nuclear plants. The Russian military has not agreed to this proposal.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
3/6/2022: SEVEN INDISPENSABLE PILLARS OF NUCLEAR SAFETY ACCORDING TO IAEA.
While this information is from March 2nd it appears that it will be referenced in future reports so we are providing it here for reference. Currently a number of the pillars are being compromised.
Previously the Director General outlined seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security at a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors on 2 March, convened to address the safety, security and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine. Today (March 2nd) he warned that several of them had already been put at risk during events overnight at the Zaporizhhzhya NPP, Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant.
The Seven Pillars are:
- The physical integrity of the facilities – whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds, or radioactive waste stores – must be maintained;
- All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times;
- The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure;
- There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites;
- There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites;
- There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures; and
- There must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.
3/4/2022: The U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm has activated its nuclear incident response team.
CHERNOBYL
No operational reactors
Spent Nuclear fuel
Disaster site covered by Sarcophagus
UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL BY SIEZURE
Operated by Ukrainian Staff, under duress of the Russian Seizure, that maintain and manage spent fuel and disaster site.
UPDATE 3/6/2022: (IAEA Update 13) The Ukranian regulator also reported that it was facing problems communicating with personnel at the Chornobyl NPP, which at the moment was only possible with e-mails. At the Chornobyl NPP, the staff of more than 200 technical personnel and guards have still not been able to rotate since 23 February, it said. (IAEA Update 13)
2nd UPDATE 3/6/2022: Several neutron flux sensors, and sensors to monitor gamma radiation dose rate and radiation contamination in the air at the Shelter, are out of order, which made it impossible to monitor the criticality and a number of radiation parameters in one of the Shelter premises. Due to the lack of sufficient number of the repair personnel and special equipment due to the occupation, the repair of damaged equipment of the systems important to nuclear and radiation safety is not performed.
Safety parameters data indicate a deteriorating trend in a number of indicators, in particular, it is concentration of long-lived radionuclides in the atmosphere. The occupier seriously violates the radiation safety requirements and strict access control procedure at the enterprise and in the Exclusion Zone. In particular, the aggressor neglects the requirements for the mandatory use of air locks, changing of clothing and footwear when visiting “dirty” areas of the enterprise, decontamination, undertakes uncontrolled movement of military personnel and military equipment at the enterprise, in the Exclusion Zone and beyond its boundaries. This, in turn, leads to deterioration of the radiation situation at the facility and in the Exclusion Zone, as well as contributes to the spread of radioactive contamination outside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
https://snriu.gov.ua/en/news/chnpp-facilities-situation-update
UPDATE 3/5/2022: (IAEA Update 12) Staff have been on site since 23 February without being able to rotate the shift of technical personnel and guards.
UPDATE 3/4/2022: (IAEA Update 11)(The Inspector General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is attempting to get the Russians to allow/facilitate him being able to get to the Chernobyl site and to setup a framework with the Ukrainians and Russians as to how IAEA staff can help secure all the nuclear sites in Ukraine.
UPDATE 3/3/2022: The Chernobyl nuclear facility is now occupied by the Russians and did experience a large spike in radiation that returned to its previous normal level. It is not understood what caused the spike in radiation and it is our understanding that new radiation levels have not been updated. It has been speculated that the army moving about the area disturbed the contaminated soil causing the radiation to spike. We have also heard that such a high spike in radiation would have to have been caused by something else, possibly opening the sarcophagus that covers the damaged reactor but we do not have any confirmation that anything like that occurred and as far as we know that is just a theory of what could have caused the spike.
ZAPORIZHZHYA
South East Ukraine, on East side of Dnieper River that is an East/West dividing line of Ukraine
6 Operational reactors
Spent Nuclear Fuel
UNDER RUSSIAN CONTROL BY SEIZURE
Operated by Ukrainian Staff, under duress of the Russian Seizure
UPDATE 3/6/22: (IAEA Update 13)
COMMAND & STAFFING: The plant management is now under orders from the commander of the Russian forces that took control of the site last week. Ukrainian staff continued to operate the facility. Operational teams at the plant were now rotating in three shifts. But there were problems with availability and supply of food, which was having a negative impact on staff morale. Any action of plant management – including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units – requires prior approval by the Russian commander.
COMMUNICATION: Ukraine has reported that the Russian forces at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication. Ukraine’s nuclear regulator which informed the IAEA today that it had started having major problems in communicating with staff operating the Zaporizhzhya NPP. Less than 24 hours after Ukraine’s regulatory authority said it had been able to maintain communications with Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, it today said the phone lines, as well as e-mails and fax, were not functioning anymore. Mobile phone communication was still possible, but with poor quality.
RADIATION STATUS: The regulator was able to provide updated information about the operational status of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and to confirm that radiation levels there remained normal. (Note: There is no other source to confirm this information.)
REACTOR STATUS: Of the six reactors, Unit 1 is in planned maintenance until mid-2022, Unit 2 now operates at full capacity, Unit 3 is in a cold shutdown state, Unit 4 is operating at near full capacity, Unit 5 is cooling down for a cold reserve state, and Unit 6 is in cold shutdown.
(IAEA Update 13)
UPDATE 3/5/2022: (IAEA Update 12)
DAMAGE TO FACILITIES: The facility’s training centre – located separately from the reactor units – had suffered significant damage during the events early on 4 March, when Ukraine says it was hit by a projectile and a localized fire broke out that was later extinguished. There had also been damage to the site’s laboratory building and to an administrative structure,
SPENT FUEL POOLS AND DRY STORAGE: Spent fuel pools were operating normally. A visual inspection of the dry storage facility did not detect any damage,
COMMUNICATIONS: Ukrainian regulator has been able to maintain communications with staff at the Zaporizhhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP.)
REACTOR STATUS: Two out of six reactors were now operating. Unit 1 remained in planned maintenance, the operating power of Unit 2 had been increased to 760 Megawatt electric (MWe) by 07:45 CET, Unit 3 had been disconnected from the grid and was in low power mode, Unit 4 was operating at 960MWe, which is near full capacity, and Units 5 and 6 were shutdown.
RADIATION STATUS: Radiation levels remain normal. (Note: There is no other source to confirm this information.)
SAFETY SYSTEMS: the technical safety systems were intact
UPDATE 3/4/2022: The Russians have control of the site while the Ukrainian workers still operate the nuclear power plant under duress. The fire was at a training building on the site and not at the actual reactor buildings.
Commentary: As with the Chernobyl site we have great concern for the workers who are working in what we can only imagine to be an incredibly stressful situation. It is critical that staff at a nuclear power plant not be under great stress worrying about their safety or the safety of their family and friends who they cannot leave to help or check on. Will workers be allowed to leave and will they come back if they are allowed to leave? Like some of the workers at Fukushima or Chernobyl they found that the safety of the facility depended on them staying and sacrificing their own personal concerns and in a disaster scenario their own health and life. The brave Ukrainians that blocked the Russians from accessing the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were overtaken by the Russians. As you are probably already aware of there is currently multiple types of artillery fire around the nuclear power plant and a structure adjacent to or within the nuclear site is on fire. Such a facility has many buildings. We do not know what is on fire. CNN this evening had the spokesperson for the facility, Android Tuz, on, he said, “many buildings are on fire” but “not fire on the reactor”. He also said firefighters cannot enter the facility to put the fire out.
There are six reactors at this site, one is in operation but all six are loaded with fuel in the reactors according to the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said a nuclear accident could occur at any time if the Russians start firing weapons again. It seems to have stopped for the moment.
There is a great amount of spent nuclear fuel on the site. Which is of equal or greater concern that the reactors themselves depending on how the spent reactor fuel is stored.
Under the current situation there are many ways that significant damage can cause a nuclear accident to either the fuel in the reactors or to the spent fuel. A meltdown of any fuel could cause a significant release of radiation into the environment impacting those nearest the facility and anyone downwind.
Here is a link to the latest IAEA update but it is already outdated as it does not talk about the fire.
YUZKNOURKRAINSK
South West Ukraine
South Nuclear Power Plant
3 Operational reactors
Under Ukrainian control and operation
3/5/2022: The safety systems of Ukraine’s three other (minus ZAPORIZHZHYA) nuclear power plants were operating and the regulator continued to receive online monitoring data regarding radiation levels at the sites, which were also as usual.
RIVNE
North West Ukraine
4 Operational Reactors
Under Ukrainian control and operation
3/5/2022: The safety systems of Ukraine’s three other (minus ZAPORIZHZHYA) nuclear power plants were operating and the regulator continued to receive online monitoring data regarding radiation levels at the sites, which were also as usual.
Update: 3/4/2022 At the 30:50 mark of the press conference the reporter asks about concerns about the type of reactors at Rivne. Stating that they have been “Units of concern…for decades”
The Director General tries to dismiss the concern as not the time or place to talk about the structural integrity of an existing reactor but the reporter pushes back and says the reactor type has a shallow containment and does not have the depth of defense the other types do. Implying that it would be site more vulnerable in an attack.
KHMELNITSKY
North West Ukraine, south of Rivne
2 Operational reactors
Under Ukrainian control and operation
3/5/2022: The safety systems of Ukraine’s three other (minus ZAPORIZHZHYA) nuclear power plants were operating and the regulator continued to receive online monitoring data regarding radiation levels at the sites, which were also as usual. 3/5/2022: The safety systems of Ukraine’s three other (minus ZAPORIZHZHYA) nuclear power plants were operating and the regulator continued to receive online monitoring data regarding radiation levels at the sites, which were also as usual.
