The United States has issued a warning to Russia regarding the handling of sensitive American nuclear technology located at a Ukrainian nuclear facility. This caution was communicated through a letter from the US Department of Energy to Rosatom, Russia's state-owned nuclear company, last month.
Dated March 17, 2023, the letter from Andrea Ferkile, who leads the Energy Department’s Office of Nonproliferation Policy, informs Rosatom's director general that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar contains nuclear technical data originating from the US, which is subject to American export controls.
US export controls apply to goods, software, and technology that could potentially threaten national security interests if misused. This warning comes amid the ongoing Russian control of the plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe, located in a region of Zaporizhzhia that Russia seized following its invasion of Ukraine in February of the previous year. The plant has been frequently disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to heavy Russian shelling, heightening concerns of a nuclear incident across Europe.
Although Ukrainian personnel continue to operate the plant, it is under the management of Rosatom. The Energy Department's letter emphasized that it is illegal for Russian individuals or entities to handle the US technology without authorization.
CNN has sought a response from Rosatom regarding the letter. The letter explicitly states that it is against US law for unauthorized individuals, including Russian citizens and entities like Rosatom, to access, control, or manipulate this technology or technical data without becoming authorized recipients by the US Department of Energy.
The response from Rosatom to this letter remains unknown. The National Nuclear Security Administration of the Energy Department confirmed the authenticity of the letter to CNN.
The letters were initially reported by RBC Ukraine. Shayela Hassan, the deputy director of public affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration, confirmed the letter's legitimacy and noted the Secretary of Energy's responsibility for authorizing the transfer of unclassified civilian nuclear technology to foreign entities. The DOE refrains from commenting on regulatory activities.
Another letter from Ferkile, dated October 24, 2022, addressed to the Energy Department’s Inspector General, details the US technology exported to Ukraine for the Zaporizhzhia plant and reiterates the absence of authorization for transferring this technology to any Russian national or entity.
The US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy has publicly supported the plant, stating in June 2021 that the US has helped implement new maintenance and operational procedures at the reactor to enhance energy security in Ukraine.