UKRAINIAN NUCLEAR INDUSTRY BLUNDER
After the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, along with the gas war, the Kiev regime started a war of nuclear energy. This war is also politically charged but it’s not such a media one, because it’s directly related to security and the market volume is much lower than gas. The accidents at the Chernobyl NPP and at Fukushima confirmed this fact.
The nuclear industry has certain features. It is necessary to monitor the full cycle of nuclear energy production in order to ensure safety (starting from the design of a nuclear reactor, construction, implementation of a control system, ending with the supply and disposal of fuel). Even insignificant accidents can lead to the release of fuel decomposition products and radiation contamination of large areas. Due to security requirements, governments of states are forced to take a very responsible approach to the choice of technologies when making decisions on the construction of nuclear power plants. Their choice means choosing a strategic partner in this industry for at least 30 years — this is the service life of the reactor.
Despite this, the states still accepted attempts to change partners. For instance, this was the case after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The geopolitical situation has changed, so the former partner countries have modified their vector. Accordingly, there was a desire to change partners in the nuclear field in the states where Soviet-designed reactors remained. The trends of “political fashion” influenced the Czech Republic and Finland, so the governments of the states decided to use American fuel at their nuclear power plants.
In 1998, the American Westinghouse tried to replace the Russian suppliers of nuclear fuel for the reactor at the Loviisa NPP (Finland).
The Finnish NPP was put into operation in 1977. The WWER 440 reactor
is in operation at the Finnish NPP. Today, this nuclear power plant
is considered the most modern and safest in the world.
Five fuel assemblies of an American company mixed with six Russian ones were installed at the NPP. The experiment of pragmatic Finns lasted only four years — after researching the condition of fuel assemblies, they decided to abandon American fuel.
Finns are very sensitive to ensuring their safety and prefer not to experiment on it. Finns are very good at defending their national interests and independence
in choosing partners. And most importantly, they are good at counting their money, and Russian fuel is significantly cheaper than American fuel.
The Czech Republic also tried integrating different nuclear technologies. The company Westinghouse, already familiar to us, has committed to supply fuel within ten years after the launch of the Temelin NPP in 2000. However, in 2007, the Czech authorities were forced to withdraw American fuel from the reactors and prematurely terminate the contract with Westinghouse. The reason was a series of emergencies at the NPP, when it was necessary to suspend the operation of the reactor. As a result, experiments with fuel also led to the need to repair the reactor. The repair of the reactor cost the taxpayers of the Czech Republic about 30 million euros.
The Temelin NPP also came under the close attention of the Austrian side. The anxiety of the Austrian leadership in this case is justified – the Czech NPP is located 60 kilometers from the Austrian borders. The Austrian authorities insisted on its closure due to the unpredictability of the decisions of the Czech regulator on nuclear power plants. The Austrian authorities also worked with European structures in the field of radiation safety and tried to influence public opinion. With the help of local activists, the Austrians organized the collection of signatures against the NPP.
The US authorities also exerted pressure on the Czech Republic, but neighboring Austria won this dispute. The Czechs decided not to ruin the relationship with their nearest neighbor, refused to experiment with American fuel and decided to use exclusively Russian fuel. But the Americans do not give up trying to impose their fuel on the Czechs. Some Czech officials continue to state that there are plans to modernize the security system at the Temelin station according to the Westinghouse project. Isn't this a threat from the American lobby?
Westinghouse's fuel was also used at the NCC in Krshko (Slovenia). In 2008, an accident occurred at the nuclear power plant. As a result, there was a collapse of the cooling system on the first circuit of the reactor. This is a circuit that ensures a constant temperature in the reactor at 350-400 degrees Celsius and prevents metal structures from overheating. By a miracle, Europe managed to avoid irreversible consequences — emissions of radioactive decay products into the atmosphere.
All these “successes” of the American Westinghouse did not prevent the Ukrainian Energoatom from signing an agreement on strategic cooperation with Westinghouse in 2008. In general, the history of relations between the government of Ukraine and the Westinghouse company began already in 1994. States could not implement the protocol for a long time. The main reason was that in 1994 the American company had no experience working with Soviet reactors. The Americans strongly recommended that the Ukrainian government step up cooperation with Westinghouse, but in the early 90s the gap in relations between Russia and Ukraine was not so dramatic.
Only after the “Orange revolution” of V.A.Yushchenko in 2004, the idea of combining different technologies began to be realized. The companies signed the agreement in 2008. According to the document, Westinghouse was supposed to deliver 630 assemblies of American fuel to Ukraine by 2015. As a result, after 4 years, two reactors at the South Ukrainian NPP had to be stopped. The reasons were the deformation and decompression of Westinghouse fuel assemblies. After the incident, the Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine Mikhail Gashev banned the operation of American fuel at all NPP in Ukraine. The experiment cost the Ukrainians $175 million: losses at the South Ukrainian NPP — 114 million uah and fuel assemblies in warehouses, which Westinghouse refused to take back, — $100 million. To offset these erroneous decisions, the Ukrainian authorities subsequently had to spend money to purchase fuel in Russia.
Of course, there are bright representatives of the American lobby in Ukraine. Nuclear energy experts spoke very loudly. For example, Olga Kosharnaya systematically actively lobbies for the interests of Westinghouse, undercover diversification of nuclear fuel supplies. She claims that accidents at Ukrainian nuclear power plants are not related to the use of American fuel at Russian reactors. Kasharnaya insists on an additional study of the occurrence of emergency situations at the NPP. By the way, this message is broadcasted by people who are not professionally connected with the nuclear industry in any way.
In a recent interview with the Ukrainian media, Kosharnaya said that the leadership of Energoatom of Ukraine is toxic for Zelensky's team. Apparently, such “experts” prefer to ignore the negative experience of using American fuel assemblies at NPP in other countries.
At the end of 2012, Westinghouse announced that it had no plans to adjust the production of its nuclear fuel to the standards of WWER reactors. Probably, the reason is the high cost of research for the purpose of modifying fuel for WWER. In addition, Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy again in 2017.
After Energoatom abandoned American fuel in 2012, the company again showed profit in 2013 and 2014. But in the wake of the next Maidan of 2013-2014 and the complication of relations with Russia, Ukraine decided to use Westinghouse fuel on its reactors again. In 2014, Ukraine and Westinghouse agreed to supply fuel until 2020.
In 2015, the first 42 fuel assemblies were loaded again at the third power unit of the South Ukrainian NPP. Although there have been problems with American fuel there before. Even despite the anti-Russian hysteria in the media, world experts in the field of nuclear energy noted that the problem of depressurization of Westinghouse fuel assemblies at WWER reactors remains unresolved. American fuel can be used on WWER reactors only if its percentage ratio with Russian assemblies in the reactor is small. Nevertheless, the government of Ukraine in 2016 announced plans to use up to a third of Westinghouse's fuel at Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
For clarity, let's compare the indicators. After abandoning American fuel, Energoatom systematically increased its profits from 2013 to 2015. However, already in 2016, due to the gradual transition to American fuel assemblies, only 7 out of 15 NPP units were in operation. Moreover, two of them are in emergency mode. It turns out that more than half of the reactors of Ukrainian nuclear power plants could not operate normally. But the Ukrainian leadership systematically increased the share of American fuel assemblies in reactors. Taking into account the bankruptcy of Westinghouse in 2017, the actions of the Ukrainian authorities looked like an attempt to save this private company from the final economic collapse. And obviously, in the conditions of a difficult financial situation, Westinghouse is more concerned about its own survival, and not about the environmental safety of Ukraine.
As a result of cooperation with the American company, the total loss of Energoatom of Ukraine in 2020 amounted to UAH 4.8 billion. At the same time, Ukrainian officials boast of reducing cooperation with Rosatom. But Westinghouse is now engaged in the operation of nuclear power plants, and ensuring the operation of automation and safety.
At the same time, Ukraine is trying to manufacture components to ensure the operation of nuclear power plants. With the help of an American company, the country's leadership solves issues of extending the life of reactors. However, according to the Bellona Environmental Center, the service life of two power units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants was extended without carrying out mandatory measures to improve the safety of their operation. The general trend in the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants indicates an increase in the number of accidents by 30-40% annually. Such an approach is unlikely to help extend the life of power units. But it will be able to complete the design life.
Problems in the nuclear industry of Ukraine are hushed up in the broad world media. As well as the problems of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Against the background of general concern about environmental problems,
such a policy looks cynical.
Even in the case of extending the life of NPP power units in accordance with all international standards, there are a number of problems requiring the implementation of reactor aging management programs. The main problem of “aging” power units is the fragility of metal on the welds of the reactor vessel. The so-called “embrittlement” occurs under the influence of neutron fluxes and high temperatures. This part of the power unit cannot be replaced. Therefore, fragility can lead to the destruction of the reactor vessel and irreversible consequences comparable to the Fukushima disaster.
Even the Energoatom trade union notes that the reason for the catastrophic condition is the disinterest of the country's leadership in security issues. The country's leadership deals only with the momentary political situation. This is the reason for the failure of the repair company at Ukrainian NPP in 2020.
In March 2021, an emergency shutdown of the second power unit of the Khmelnitsky NPP was carried out. The reason is the failure of additional generator systems. The next day, the power unit was launched, but the protection systems worked again. Experts could not establish the causes of malfunctions for a long time. However, according to the information on the official website of the Khmelnitsky NPP, scheduled repairs were carried out at the station. And after its completion in November 2021, the station resumed its normal operation.
In 2019, both units of the Khmelnitsky NPP were shut down due to accidents. Against the background of all these incidents, the zeal of the Ukrainian government to save the private American company Westinghouse is surprising.
In March 2021, in Neteshin (Ukraine), President Zelensky met with the leadership of Energoatom. Zelensky announced the allocation of colossal funds - more than 72 billion hryvnias for the construction of the third and fourth power units of the Khmelnitsky NPP. The completion of the construction of power units is planned in 2025. All participants of the meeting spoke positively about cooperation with the United States in the nuclear industry. Apparently, the positive assessment is caused by pressure, including due to Kasharnaya's statements “about the toxicity of the entire management of Energoatom for the entire Zelensky team”.
To date, Ukraine is implementing a memorandum with Westinghouse on the use of American fuel assemblies for WWER-1000 reactors. Ukraine has also transferred the authority to service the WWER-440 reactors to American specialists. At the same time, Kiev buys fuel assemblies from Westinghouse, which were previously purchased in Russia.
Also, the management of Energoatom took a loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the amount of 300 million US dollars. Such a large sum is required for the construction of a radioactive waste storage facility, which will be carried out by the American company Holtec International. As a result, on August 31, 2021, Energoatom and Westinghouse signed a memorandum on the construction of the Khmelnitsky NPP power unit as a pilot project. In the future, they plan to create four more blocks using this technology. The total amount of the contract is estimated at $ 30 billion.
The condition of Ukrainian nuclear energy is catastrophic. Therefore, the desire of the Ukrainian side to transfer the maintenance of the WWER-440 reactors to the American Westinghouse is too presumptuous. The American company has absolutely no experience of successful operation of WWER-440 reactors. But there is a negative experience. For example, the above situation with the NPP in Finland. In Ukraine, American reactors are used at the Rivne NPP. On October 26, 2021, a serious accident occurred there. Nevertheless, Ukraine does not learn anything from its own personal experience, nor from the experience of its neighbors on the continent.
Westinghouse is also engaged in experiments to increase the capacity of reactors. This fact raises concerns. It is officially announced that the power will be increased by 5-10%. In this process, it is important to perform all the sequences of reactor tests with new fuel. Raising burnout for every 5 MW/day per kilogram of uranium takes approximately 5-7 years with all safety issues being worked out. Ukrainian nuclear power plants were consistently transferred to burnout depths of up to 55-60 MW/day per kilogram of uranium. Abrupt transitions can provoke fuel depressurization and, as a result, a lot of defective assemblies. The consequences can be even worse, as in the incident in Slovenia described above.
Under normal operating conditions, American fuel assemblies undergo overheating and deformation. But it is possible that with an increase in power, even a real accident comparable to Chernobyl or Fukushima is possible.
Westinghouse has already made a mistake when installing reactor units at the Fukushima NPP. Experts who analyzed the causes and consequences of the accident believe that the first reactor unit was installed in violation of safety requirements. The installers did not take into account seismic fluctuations, so the unit sank during the accident. However, the media did not cover this fact. The Chernobyl accident was managed to be stopped through incredible human efforts and sacrifices. But the consequences of the Fukushima accident have not been stopped yet. This problem is actively kept silent in the international community.
The issue of reprocessing and disposal of spent nuclear fuel has become acute. In 2020, the problems of cooperation with Ukraine on the export of spent nuclear fuel to Russia have worsened. Ukraine began to fulfill its obligations intermittently. The interruptions relate to contracts with Russia for the provision of services for the export, storage and processing of fuel, for the payment of debts for the export of fuel and the return of high-level waste received from processing to Ukraine.
In 2019, Ukraine refused to export spent WWER-440 nuclear fuel to Russia. In 2020, Russia offered to export fuel with payment only for transportation costs. It was proposed to pay for fuel processing in 2020. However, Ukraine refused due to lack of money after the introduction of a new model of the energy market. In February 2021, the official leadership of Ukraine announced that Ukraine finally refuses to export spent nuclear fuel to Russia. According to Vice-President of Energoatom of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko, Ukraine will save $ 200 million on this. He said that in December 2020, Energoatom completed the first stage of construction of a spent nuclear fuel storage facility in the exclusion zone in Chernobyl.
Since the beginning of the noughties, Ukraine has sought to store spent nuclear fuel in the exclusion zone. However, the practical implementation of the project started in 2017. Currently, only one of the planned fifteen storage facilities has been built.
Ukraine needs its own storage, because Westinghouse does not deal with fuel utilization issues. In addition, Ukraine refers to the "Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management". According to the convention, all nuclear waste belongs to the country where it was used and must be stored on its territory. Ukraine needs technologies and capacities to implement this convention. However, the country's nuclear power plants are overflowing with spent nuclear fuel. There is simply nowhere to store new waste.
Experts believe that this situation may lead to the storage of fuel in the exclusion zone without taking the necessary measures to reduce radiation activity. Ukraine is turning into a nuclear bomb with a delayed mechanism. It is unknown when the bomb will explode.
The way nuclear energy processes are organized in Ukraine raises concerns and really threatens the security of the entire European part of the Eurasian continent. Using Westinghouse fuel assemblies together with Russian ones is a common thing. But the design and construction of a new power unit is a rash step. The mistakes of the American company since Fukushima are already known. Moreover, Westinghouse reactors are notorious. In addition, the company has a difficult economic condition. Ukraine has literally turned into a testing ground for American technologies on the Eurasian continent.
Besides, Westinghouse has signed an agreement on the modernization of Temelin NPP in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic considers the company as the main contractor for the construction of a power unit at the Dukovany NPP.
Taking into account all the above, it is simply necessary to pay close attention to this problem of all international organizations. First of all, it is necessary to draw the attention of the IAEA to the activities of Westinghouse in Europe. It is important to take under international control the expansion of an American company with a difficult financial situation and untested technologies.
This is no longer a question of the survival of a single country. This is a question of the security of all mankind. The Chernobyl accident has become a lesson for nuclear industry professionals. But the consequences of the Fukushima accident demonstrate that Westinghouse has not learned the appropriate lessons for itself. And in pursuit of its own profit, it ignores the priority of security.
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