MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) will transition completely over to Russian operating standards by 2030, Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Rosenergoatom’s CEO, said in an interview with TASS.

"We have quite large-scale plans for upgrades and further development. At present, the analysis, detailing and preparation of the relevant production processes for the launch [of the NPP] are underway. I think the transition of the Zaporozhye NPP to Russian standards will be completed by 2030," Karchaa said.

Karchaa explained that the transition to Russian standards would take about seven years, also because in the nuclear sector "there are no secondary things that you can forget about, that you can ignore."

"This time will be spent on formulating the specific features of production activities, as well as corporate culture, [and the formation] of a new level of self-awareness and [a sense of what their] role [is] for the people there, on the territory [of the ZNPP]. Here we’re talking not only about the social aspects [of the transition]. It will also be necessary to bring regulations into line with Russian standards; so, there are a number of very subtle nuances involved," the expert explained.

He noted that this is "so far a very expensive" project for Russia.

"This is an investment not only in the plant itself, but also in the city, in the people. We did not come for the land; Russia has enough land already. [Nor did we come] for the nuclear power plant. In this sense, everything is fine in our country; there isn’t even a hint of a shortage of nuclear power generation capacities. We came to the people; we came to help them," Karchaa added.

About Zaporozhye NPP

The Zaporozhye NPP is the largest in Europe and has a capacity of about 6,000 MW. It used to generate a quarter of all electrical power in Ukraine. The ZNPP consists of six power units and since 1996 had operated as a detached unit of the Energoatom national nuclear power generating company, controlled by Kiev.

In March 2022, the ZNPP came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. Since then, units of the Ukrainian army have periodically shelled both the residential areas of Energodar and the premises of the plant itself, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).

On October 3, 2022, Rosenergoatom established the Zaporozhye NPP Operating Organization company, and on October 5 the Zaporozhye NPP facilities were placed under the ownership of the Russian federal government by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Three days later, on behalf of the head of state, the government created the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant Federal State Unitary Enterprise, which its headquartered in Moscow.