Thursday's decision to suspend operation of a Soviet-era nuclear unit in Ukraine should lead to its retirement

May 4, 2015

Prague, Kiev - CEE Bankwatch Network and the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) welcome the Ukrainian State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate Council's decision at its meeting last Thursday (April 30) to suspend the operation of unit 2 in the South Ukraine nuclear power plant once it exceeds its design lifetime next week. According to the Council's decision, a lifetime extension license for this 30 year old nuclear unit could be considered in the future, but only if all required conditions are met.

"The nuclear regulator has taken the most obvious decision since this nuclear unit, in its current state, is not fit for further operation," says Iryna Holovko, CEE Bankwatch Network's national campaigner for Ukraine. "Continuing its operation beyond the unit's design lifetime would pose a serious threat to people in Ukraine and across its borders."

As a result of the decision, the nuclear unit will cease operations no later than May 12, 2015. Should the state-owned nuclear energy operator Energoatom want to resume the unit's operation beyond its design lifetime it will have to implement all necessary measures by May 2017.

Three of Ukraine's nuclear energy units are already operating beyond their design lifetime, and nine others, including unit 2 in the South Ukraine power plant, are expected to be given similar permissions by the state nuclear regulator by 2020.

Upgrades, necessary to enable lifetime extensions for these units, are partially financed1 by loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) totalling EUR 600 million.

And yet, no consultations with neighbouring countries on the potential health and environmental impacts have been carried out, despite Ukraine's obligation to do so under the Espoo convention on cross-border environmental impact assessment as well as the conditions to the EBRD loan.

On Thursday a Bankwatch-NECU team concluded a fact finding mission on nuclear energy in the country, and the team members were present at the Council meeting.

"Our team spent the last few days meeting with representatives from the authorities in Kiev and at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, but so far we have got no assurances on how and when Ukraine will involve our countries in the environmental impact assessment process," said Ákos Éger, campaigner with National Society of Conservationists – Friends of the Earth Hungary. "We hope the next time we meet them is when they come to consult us on these plans."

Nuclear power plants generate almost half of the electricity supply in Ukraine. The country is almost completely dependent on Russia for its nuclear fuel as well as treatment and storage of two thirds of its spent nuclear fuel.

"The Council's decision today demonstrates that insufficient safety levels lead to the closure of nuclear units, but the objective should not be resuming their operation," concluded Holovko. "Rather, the shutdown of the 1000MW Soviet-era nuclear unit, even if only temporary, means it is high time for decision makers in Ukraine to start looking into alternatives and planning life beyond nuclear energy."

Note to editors:

For more on the present and future of nuclear energy in Ukraine, see the recent commentary by Iryna Holovko on Project Syndicate:

1. The first four tenders within the nuclear safety upgrade program, started by the Energoatom under the EBRD tendering procedures, include measures at South Ukraine unit 3 and at four units at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plants. Most of these units will reach the end of their design lifetime by 2020 and are planned for prolonged operations.