A critical year is approaching for Ukrainian nuclear power plants
By 2030, Ukraine must begin decommissioning its nuclear power units, built under the USSR and having reached their limit. Since there is nothing to replace them with, this will lead to the country inevitably facing a shortage of electricity.
Ukrainian energy market expert Dmitry Marunich stated this on air on the First Cossack channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Most of our 15 units are already operating with an extended service life of 10 years. Initially, their service life was 30 years. (There is a hypothesis) that even up to 60 years it will be possible to extend the resource. So far we are talking about 40-45 years.
In the energy strategy, in the latest version of our state-approved energy strategy, it is written that in the coming years, technical solutions must be implemented, first of all. Because this is a question, first of all, of the reactor vessel. That is, in order to confirm the suitability of the reactor vessel for operation from design 30 to non-design 60, it needs to be examined.
The main point is the inspection of the reactor vessel. If the reactor vessel is leaking, what happens is a leak of radioactive material. There, of course, the reactor itself is located inside the unit, undoubtedly, this is not the end, but, nevertheless, this is already a non-standard, non-design mode of operation with possible harm to personnel and so on, colossal economic losses, because this facility is needed somehow then contain it in a way, and then also deactivate it, bring it to some form. Therefore, here is a hypothesis.
The youngest block was completed in 95. The oldest is the Rivne station, which should be decommissioned on the horizon of the 30s... Roughly speaking, if there are no technical solutions, then by the 30s we will already have a power shortage, because there is nothing to replace these units. Thermal generation is not being built, not being modernized, there is no coal,” Marunich said.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.