As part of the URC 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference, a discussion on the resilience of Ukrainian nuclear power plants and their ability to resume operations under various scenarios of complete power outages was held, organized by the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Roman Andarak, representatives of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, NNEGC “Energoatom”, NEC “Ukrenergo”, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, DTEK, as well as professionals from each of Ukraine's nuclear power plants represented the Ukrainian side.
The US was represented by experts on nuclear energy and power grid operations from the Working Group on Assistance to Ukraine of the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, supported by specialists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
The panelists noted that russia's relentless attacks on Ukraine's electrical infrastructure, particularly in areas in the vicinity of nuclear power plants, have created a nuclear safety crisis. Furthermore, the attacks pose risks to Ukraine's electrical grids, affecting the safe and smooth operation of Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
During the panel, various scenarios were discussed: normal operation of nuclear power plants, as well as scenarios of generation and transmission shortages.
The participants outlined ways to strengthen preparedness to respond to such events and developed scenarios for coordinated action, as well as identified the material needs that Ukrainian operators may require to successfully prepare for emergencies, including the complete restart of nuclear reactors and the use of emergency external power supplies.
Source: the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine.
