Euratom

Energoatom is currently unable to serve loans from European institutions. Even though a European Commission study assessed the company’s credit worthiness, Ukrainian taxpayers now have to pay back part of the loans.

Current EU support is not just a distraction from the energy path Ukraine needs to take, it also puts countless communities in Ukraine and abroad at risk.

- UPDATING STORY - A Bankwatch fact-finding mission is currently in Ukraine to explore the state of nuclear energy in the country, particularly in light of intentions to extend the lifetime of 12 Soviet-era nuclear units.

On November 28, the state nuclear regulator of Ukraine (SNRIU) allowed the continued operation of unit 1 of the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant (SUNPP-1) until December 2, 2023 - 10 years beyond its technically designed lifetime. The decision not only constitutes a breach of national regulation, but also disregards an unresolved case of non-compliance with the UN Espoo Convention. All this while Energoatom is in an increasingly tight financial situation.

A recent audit showed that Ukraine lacks good management at least as much as finances to reform its energy sector. EU money is meanwhile siding with a tainted company.

26 years ago, the days after the nuclear accident in Chernobyl had been marked by the glaring lack of information. Today, Europe's population is similarly clueless as back then about the nuclear risk brewing in Ukraine.

Ukraine plans to extend the lifetimes of its fifteen nuclear reactors, most of which will soon pass their expiration date. A new report shows how these plans that are pursued in utter silence have seen only an inadequate assessment.