Russia's taking of Ukraine nuclear plant a hit to clean energy future

Holtec, a private US nuclear power company, said that Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia plant is a grave threat to clean energy.

Russia took control of the plant, Europe’s largest, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, 2022. The war has caused damage to the plant and damaged power lines, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Russia and Ukraine both blame each other for the bombardment.

Holtec International's chief executive, Kris Singh, stated in an open mail published Thursday that Russia's military occupation at the plant must be considered a serious blow to the future of clean energy for humanity.

Singh stated that it had "normalized an entirely new and horrendous weapon of war".

Biden administration backers of nuclear power claim that the electricity source is essential to combat climate change because it produces virtually no emissions. Nuclear's critics claim it is too expensive and takes too much time to build new plants. However, some agree that existing reactors should be kept running if they are safe.

Holtec, a Ukrainian company that works with spent nuclear fuel storage, is interested in building next-generation small modular reactors.

Russia's war in Ukraine, and its taking Zaporizhzhia could prove costly for its international nuclear business. A Finnish-led consortium canceled a contract that Russia's state-owned Rosatom was to build a nuclear plant in Finland. It cited delays and increased risk due to the conflict in Ukraine.

The Hanhikivi 1 project would have made Finland more dependent on Russia for its energy.

Singh called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (UN's nuclear watchdog), to urge its member states to reach a consensus that makes attempts to disrupt peaceful nuclear power generation "punishable with expulsion of aggressor states."

The IAEA made no immediate response to a request for comment.

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