Rivne nuclear plant to get drone defense – reports

Source: Nashi Hroshi

Ukraine’s nuclear operator, Energoatom, has signed a deal to design and build a protective structure at the Rivne nuclear power plant just days after  president Zelensky warned in his speech at the United Nations about the threats the country’s energy facilities can face this autumn. Valued at 509 million UAH,  the contract was reportedly finalized on September 25, 2024.

With Ukraine’s nuclear plants having no proper protection from Russian drones and missiles, the move was predictable but long overdue. The new protective structures, described as “reinforced concrete P-shaped units”,  will help to protect the nuclear power plant transformers from new attacks.

The protection has proved to be effective for Ukrenergo, Ukraine’ grid operator, and its substations – it started to put up similar protection last year. Although not fully completed, even the unfinished structures have proven capable of preventing damage from strikes.

It is worth noting that the Rivne nuclear power plant contract is classified, there is no information about the protective structures its site is going to get.

The same safety concerns spurred action at Ukrhydroenergo facilities. In September, the company spent 1.11 billion hryvnias on protection and repairs of its hydroelectric power stations. Notably, 540 million hryvnias went to Ukrtal Construction, a company with alleged links to oligarch Vitaliy Haiduk though no details of the contract were made public.