Khmelnytsky nuclear plant, western Ukraine
Technicians closely monitor a wall of screens and dials in the control room at the Khmelnytsky nuclear plant, a vast facility in western Ukraine that has become vital to the country’s energy grid and its war effort.
Ukraine is facing an acute energy crisis after months of relentless Russian attacks on its infrastructure. At least 60% of the country’s electricity now comes from the giant turbine halls at Khmelnytskyi and two other nuclear plants.
Guiding the visit is Pavlo Kovtonyuk, head of Energoatom, Ukraine’s National Nuclear Energy Company. He says all nuclear installations are under a very real threat of attack from Russia.
“At present, Russia is trying to attack substations that connect nuclear power plants to the grid to shut down nuclear energy,” he explains.
“This is nuclear terrorism, because the connection between the systems and the nuclear power plant is what ensures their safe and reliable operation.”
Nuclear power stations are secure and sensitive installations, with access tightly restricted to essential personnel. Rare access to the plant shows how Ukraine is coping with Russia’s sustained assault on its energy infrastructure.
Under nightly attack from hundreds of missiles and drones, Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting critical energy systems. President Volodymyr Zelensky says Moscow is exploiting the brutal winter, leaving tens of thousands of people without power, heating, or running water.
Most of Ukraine’s conventional power plants have been damaged or destroyed in airstrikes, making nuclear facilities like Khmelnytskyi the backbone of the country’s electricity supply.
However, Ukraine’s largest power station, located on the southern stretch of the Dnipro River near Zaporizhzhia, has been under Russian control since the early days of the war.
Not only is it Ukraine’s biggest plant, but it is also the largest nuclear power station in Europe, capable of generating enough electricity to supply a country the size of Portugal. The facility is currently in “dormant” mode, not producing power, with Russian technicians and troops in control.
The future of the Zaporizhzhia plant is now one of the most critical issues in any potential peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Recent reports suggest Ukraine has proposed joint control with the United States, with half of the electricity supplied domestically and the remainder distributed by the US, potentially even to Russia.
During a tour of the Khmelnytskyi complex, staff now working at the plant described their experiences at Zaporizhzhia when Russian forces attacked on the night of 3 March 2022. Among them were technician Dariia Zhurba and her husband, Ihor, an engineer.
“It was scary. It was really frightening when they occupied the site. We were at home that night,” Dariia recalled.
