MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Only an end to the Ukrainian army’s shellings of the Zaporozhye NPP will prevent a nuclear catastrophe, says Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the CEO of Rosenergoatom.
"Today, only one thing is of paramount and decisive importance - a fundamental decision to cease artillery fire against the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the city of Energodar and its environs. Only in that case can we be more or less certain a nuclear catastrophe will not happen," Karchaa told TASS in an interview.
The ZNPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Russia took it under control on 28 February. In October, the JSC Operating Organization of the Zaporozhye NPP was granted the right to run the facility. The new company’s objective is to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear power plant and the professional activity of the existing personnel with support from the JSC Rosenergoatom Concern (part of the electric power division of Rosatom). In November, all ZNPP personnel received their first paychecks as full-fledged members of the Russian nuclear power community. The power plant’s former chief engineer, Yury Chernichuk, was appointed the ZNPP’s CEO.
The Ukrainian army periodically shells both the residential areas of Energodar and the territory of the nuclear plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.