Ukrainian power stations: "The presence of armed forces increases the risks"

What if, from the point of view of nuclear safety in Ukraine, the real enemy was not the armed conflict itself, but the stress of the operators working in the power plants? In their heads, the atom experts quickly made their calculations. “Putin has no interest in blowing up a reactor if only because the radioactive fallout could affect Russia,” said one of them. “Its goal was to control the production of electricity. Now that certain sites and their surroundings are in the hands of the Russians, the probability of combat and collateral damage on the installations decreases”, ventures another.

Of course, fears of nuclear incidents have not disappeared. Ukraine has two reactors that do not have a containment enclosure. And in Chernobyl, water contamination, with cascading effects cannot be ruled out. However, in the short term, it is above all the condition of the employees in charge of the management of the Zaporijjia plant that is worrying. “On the spot the situation remains very tense, recalled this Monday Rafael Grossi”, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “According to the information provided by the Ukrainian security agency, we know that the team in place during the attack was relieved at least once. But the conditions of communication with the central remain unsatisfactory” notes Valérie Faudon, General Delegate of the French Nuclear Energy Company (SFEN).

The IAEA specifies on its website: “The management of the plant is now under the orders of the commander of the Russian forces which took control of the site last week. power plant management measure now requires the prior approval of the Russian commander”. An inevitably stressful situation for the operators working on site but also for the observers.

Limited offer. 2 months for 1€ without commitment

“On the Chernobyl site, also under the control of the Russian forces, the reactor is no longer in operation. The task of the employees therefore consists in monitoring. reactor cooling”, notes Valérie Faudon. “On site, you have to operate pumps to control the temperature of the tank, regulate the chemical parameters of the adjoining swimming pool which contains radioactive elements. Not to mention the many other tasks. These actions require the movement of men. They do not are not automatic”, assures Bruno Chareyron, head of the laboratory of the Independent Research and Information Commission on Radioactivity (Criirad).

The fundamental role of the human factor

“The human factor plays a fundamental role in nuclear safety, underlines Dominique Grenêche, professor at Sciences Po and at the National Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Techniques (INSTN). If we analyze past disasters like Three Miles Island (United States ) or Chernobyl, we realize that each time there were human errors. This is the reason why these are closely studied today. There are even simulations which estimate, for certain types of actions to be taken, the percentage of possible human error. And this can be relatively high”!

“In power plants, there is no room for error. Extreme rigor is required. Having employees work in the presence of armed forces increases the risk of malfunction that could lead to a disaster. I don’t not say that it will happen but the risk increases, adds Bruno Chareyron.In order to avoid any slippage and to ensure the proper functioning of the power plants, the IAEA has just established 7 rules and submitted them to Russia, which says she is ready to respect them. Certain points, relating to the integrity of the buildings or permanent access to electricity, do not seem to pose a problem for the moment. However, several points concerning the staff must be improved.

L’application L’Express

To track analysis and decryption wherever you are

Download the app

“He must be able to make decisions himself on the activity of the plant, insists Valérie Faudon. This is a very important point”. In addition, the logistics services must be able to supply the site in order to supply, for example, spare parts. Finally, communication must be maintained with the outside world. Vladimir Putin has given his agreement in principle. It now remains to enforce the measures on the ground in order to lower the level of risk by a notch.