ENERGODAR /Zaporozhye region/, September 21. /TASS/. The operational experience of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the first and only nuclear facility in the world to have functioned for three years in a combat zone, will have a lasting impact on the entire nuclear industry. The technical solutions developed by the plant’s personnel under extreme conditions will be applied in the future, ZNPP Director Yuri Chernichuk told TASS.

"If we look at the Chernobyl disaster, it significantly altered approaches and concepts regarding nuclear facility safety. The situation we have encountered - first in the world - will bring changes to the framework for ensuring the physical security of [nuclear] facilities," Chernichuk said.

According to him, the technical solutions adopted by the plant’s personnel during extreme situations "will be reflected in regulatory frameworks and in approaches to responding to emergency and crisis scenarios." "These changes will be incorporated into the regulatory documents that guide personnel and govern the operation of facilities similar to ours," he added.

The Zaporozhye NPP is a Russian nuclear facility located in Energodar. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, comprising six power units with a total capacity of 6 GW. All units are currently in a state of "cold shutdown" and are not generating electricity. Since 2022, Ukrainian forces have been shelling both residential areas of Energodar and the plant’s territory with artillery, as well as carrying out drone attacks. Since September 2022, experts from the IAEA mission have been permanently stationed at the facility, with the team rotating regularly.