Minor, Non-Radioactive Leakage Reported at Ukrainian Nuclear Plant

Text of report by private Ukrainian Inter TV on 5 June

[Presenter] There was a leakage of liquid from a cooling system at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant recently. Enerhoatom [state nuclear power company] today confirmed that the second power- generating unit of the Rivne nuclear power plant was switched off for repairs on 29 May. The security system indicated that a pipe supplying water to the reactor had burst. But the accident took place at the second circuit, which does not come into contact with radioactive materials, specialists say. The damaged pipe has been replaced and the reactor is once again operational. Atomic scientists say that the leakage was minor, nothing in comparison with what happened in Slovenia [brief shutdown of the Krsko plant following a water leak]. No radioactive surges at the Rivne plant were detected.

[Viktor Stovbun, captioned as executive director for production at the Enerhoatom nuclear energy company] They [presumably the Slovene plant] had, according to the reports we have heard, a leakage of some three cubic metres, which at our grids would qualify as an accident. But we had three litres per hour, which is entirely within acceptable norms.

Originally published by Inter TV, Kiev, in Russian 1700 5 Jun 08.

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