Former advisor critiques Ukraine's costly nuclear expansion plans
Lana Zerkal, former advisor to the Minister of Energy and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, expressed concerns over the feasibility of constructing multiple nuclear power units in Ukraine, in an interview with Radio NV on June 11.
Zerkal highlighted that while Energoatom is pushing to complete the third and fourth units at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) within two years, she remains skeptical, having heard these promises for over a decade. “They believe they will build them in two years, and I have been hearing this fairy tale for the last ten years,” she remarked.
She also noted the plans to add the fifth and sixth blocks at KhNPP and two additional units at the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant. Zerkal criticized these plans as overly ambitious given the current financial constraints: "I do not get it at all, because Ukraine does not have so much money that we can spray around and invest in everything that can probably be built in 10 years or so."
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Amidst these grand nuclear aspirations, Ukraine faces an immediate energy crisis. "This winter, people will not care what will happen in 10 years," Zerkal continued. "They will need light and heat right now, not stories that in 10 years we will have a bunch of nuclear units."
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The urgency of the situation is underscored by recent damages to the country's energy infrastructure. Centerenergo reported a total loss of generation capacity after the destruction of the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant (TPP). Additionally, the TEC-5 in Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast's Zmiyiv TPP were destroyed, with repairs expected to take years. DniproHES lost two generation units in a Russian attack, although the dam withstood the strike. The DTEK Group, owned by Rinat Akhmetov, announced an 80% reduction in its generation capacity, and further damage was reported at the Burshtynska and Ladyzhynska TPPs, along with a gas storage facility in western Ukraine.
Zerkal's interview paints a grim picture of the challenges facing Ukraine's energy sector, emphasizing the need for immediate solutions to ensure the provision of essential services to the Ukrainian people.
Read also: Ukraine restores reliable energy connection with Europe
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