Two Years on from the Full-Scale Invasion: Has the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant Crisis Shown that a Global Shift Towards Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) is Needed?
Within nine days of the so called ‘special military operation’, the Russian military seized the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, a previously active station which lies on the banks of the Dnipro River. Before the war, Zaporizhzhya was the largest functioning power station in Europe, and supplied the nation with 20% of its total electricity, contributing to 44.3% of Ukraine’s entire nuclear output. Therefore, it is understandable why Vladimir Putin prioritised the early capture of Zaporizhzhya, which would (in theory), cement Russian control over Ukrainian energy production and provide a strategically important win in south-eastern Ukraine.
Fighting broke out around the Zaporizhzhya Power Plant in the evening of March 4th 2022, with large-scale shelling persisting until the early hours of March 5th. It has been noted by the ‘International Atomic Energy Agency’ (IAEA) that the shelling has destroyed sensitive electrical lines, which are vital for the plant’s cooling system. For larger nuclear plants, a regular supply of electricity and human intervention is necessary to regulate the cooling of the reactor core. Therefore, without electrical lines, and a large supply of water, the core reactor is vulnerable to nuclear meltdown. It is essential these two aspects are maintained, especially with fighting around the power plant continuing, to ensure a second national nuclear disaster is prevented.
However, the alleged Russian bombing of the Kakhovka dam in 2023 has increased the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Ukrainian power plant. The destruction of the dam has drained the reservoir, which was used to maintain the temperature of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant’s reactor. Ukrainian intelligence signals point to Russia planning a potential attack on Zaporizhzhya after what appeared to be large explosive devices were seen to be installed on the roof of the power plant. The vulnerability of large nuclear power plants, especially in areas of conflict, inform post-Soviet states bordering Russia the importance of developing smaller reactors. This would remove a large percentage of the threat to civilians living in the region, and reduce the scale of a nuclear disaster.
Now that we have a strong contextual understanding of why the ZNPP crisis is important for the development of the war, it is essential to understand why small modular reactors (SMR) would decrease the threat of a nuclear disaster when a country is attacked. These power stations are much smaller than conventional plants, which means they produce a significantly lower amount of radiation. Furthermore, SMR reactors incorporate ‘passive safety’ features, which do not rely on human intervention and utilise gravity-based cooling systems as opposed to a consistent supply of power or water. These passive safety systems use the force of gravity to drive the natural circulation flow instead of an external water supply. This decreases the temperature of the core within 12 hours, unlike a large nuclear power station which takes a significantly longer time to cool its reactors, relying on water (normally taken from large reservoirs).
All six reactors at the Zaporizhzhya power plant have a power output of 1000Mwe, compared to a maximum of 300Mwe output SMR’s can produce. However, flexibility in the development of small reactors provide benefit over large power plants. They are fast and easy to build, factory assembled in modules which increases ability of standardised production, and can be transported to the location to be installed. Furthermore, the cost in production of SMR’s is significantly lower than a large power plant. A small modular reactor costs about $250 million to develop, whereas a large nuclear power plant costs anywhere in the region of $6-$9 billion. With current prices of large-scale nuclear projects increasing, such as Slovenia’s new power plant costing up to €11 billion, SMR production is becoming a more important alternative.
Post-Soviet and bordering states of Russia that are currently feeling a threat to national security should use the events of the ZNPP as a warning to modernise nuclear power and transition to using ‘small modular reactors’ rather than large power stations. For countries in the post-Soviet space, there is no doubt that the reduced cost of SMR development is attractive. Romania and Moldova have already echoed this sentiment, with the nations agreeing on future joint development of SMRs. The Romanian nuclear operator, Nuclearelectrica, has signed a deal with the Moldovan state-owned energy company, Energocom, with a view to long-term cooperation. These companies have already agreed on the future production of two SMRs, which could inspire post-Soviet Central Asian states to follow as they are currently experiencing harsher droughts and low water-levels.
Cunningham, N. (2012). Small Modular Reactors: A Possible Path Forward for Nuclear Power. American Security Project. http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep06047
