On September 25, 2024, the state enterprise “Energoatom” signed an agreement worth UAH 509 million for the design and construction of a protective structure at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant. This information became known thanks to the publication “Nashi Groshi” with a reference to the “Prozorro” system.
According to the publication, the reasons for the agreement became clear after the statement of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN General Assembly, where he emphasized that the power equipment near Ukrainian nuclear power plants is unprotected and could become a target for Russian missiles. This prompted Energoatom to design a “second level” of protection, which involves the construction of reinforced concrete U-shaped structures. These structures are supposed to protect large transformers from attacks, in particular from shrapnel and shrapnel damage.
As experts note, the effectiveness of such protective structures has already been proven at Ukrenergo substations. It is noted that, despite the fact that design and construction work has been ongoing since last year, even the unfinished structures already provide a certain level of protection.
However, the UAH 509 million contract for the RNPP is causing concern due to the lack of information about the size of the facility. Nashi Groshi emphasizes that many details of the deal remain hidden, which calls into question the transparency of processes in the public sector.
It is also worth noting the activation of Ukrhydroenergo, which in September carried out purchases for the protection and restoration of damaged hydroelectric power plants for a total of UAH 1.11 billion. Of these funds, UAH 0.54 billion fell on the agreement with PrJSC Ukrstal Konstruktion, owned by former oligarch Vitaly Haiduk. Again, details of the prices for construction materials under these contracts were not made public.
