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US warns Russia not to touch American nuclear technology at Ukrainian nuclear plant (Zaporizhzhia)
CNN ^ | 4-18-23 | Natasha Bertrand and Tim Lister

Posted on 04/18/2023 8:56:38 PM PDT by dynachrome

The US has sensitive nuclear technology at a nuclear power plant inside Ukraine and is warning Russia not to touch it, according to a letter the US Department of Energy sent to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom last month.

In the letter, which was reviewed by CNN and is dated March 17, 2023, the director of the Energy Department’s Office of Nonproliferation Policy, Andrea Ferkile, tells Rosatom’s director general that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar “contains US-origin nuclear technical data that is export-controlled by the United States Government.”

Goods, software and technology are subject to US export controls when it is possible for them to be used in a way that undermines US national security interests.

The Energy Department letter comes as Russian forces continue to control the plant, which is the largest nuclear power station in Europe and sits in a part of the Zaporizhzhia region that Russia occupied after its invasion of Ukraine last February. The plant has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to intense Russian shelling in the area, raising fears across Europe of a nuclear accident.

The plant is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff, Rosatom manages it. The Energy Department warned Rosatom in the letter that it is “unlawful” for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology.

“It is unlawful under United States law for non-authorized persons, including, but not limited to, Russian citizens and Russian entities,” the letter says, “such as Rosatom and its subsidiaries, to knowingly and willfully access, possess, control, export, store, seize, review, re-export, ship, transfer, copy, manipulate such technology or technical data, or direct, or authorize others to do the same, without such Russian entities becoming authorized recipients by the Secretary of the US Department of Energy.”

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: nuclearplant; russian; ukraine
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To: Karl Spooner

Yes. American influence is going up in smoke before our eyes, in no small measure as a result of insane Neocon policies. This ridiculous letter will only add fuel to that fire. Sad. Almost looks like someone wants us to be a laughing stock.


21 posted on 04/19/2023 4:07:08 AM PDT by Palmetto State Conservative
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To: moovova

Another strongly worded letter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TEvacFETvM


22 posted on 04/19/2023 4:46:08 AM PDT by Steven Tyler
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To: dynachrome

Andrea Ferkile, tells Rosatom’s director general that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar “contains US-origin nuclear technical data that is export-controlled by the United States Government.”

Uhm, maybe NOT send that type of technology to countries on the border with Russia, China, etc.?

And, Biden will just send a sternly worded letter.


23 posted on 04/19/2023 5:58:26 AM PDT by ro_dreaming (Who knew "Idiocracy", "1984", "Enemy of the State", and "Person of Interest" would be non-fiction?)
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To: moovova

“Or what?”

Exactly!
What? Don’t do it or you’ll make me weawy, weawy angry! (As Elmer Fudd would say.)
Yeah. That’s the ticket, Biden. That’ll really put the fear of God into Putin. /s


24 posted on 04/19/2023 9:44:16 AM PDT by Montana_Sam (Truth lives.)
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To: BobL; Kazan; NorseViking; Travis McGee; Cathi; Mariner; JonPreston; dforest; woodpusher

Assuming the story is true (because it is CNN, but they aren’t the only ones reporting this): why exactly is “sensitive [American] nuclear technology” in a Ukrainian nuclear power plant?


25 posted on 04/19/2023 1:31:34 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007

Didn’t Russia have operational control of this plant early on in the war?


26 posted on 04/19/2023 1:38:42 PM PDT by JonPreston
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To: JonPreston

That’s what I recall, which is one reason I’m wondering why this sort of message is only now becoming public.


27 posted on 04/19/2023 2:01:18 PM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007 (There is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007; BobL; Kazan; NorseViking; Travis McGee; Cathi; Mariner; JonPreston; dforest; ...

Blown out of proportion by the US as a false predicate for direct intervention.

Beware the trap. The US has NOTHING THERE they would not object to the New York Times publishing.

Invention of causus belli.


28 posted on 04/19/2023 2:14:49 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Ultra Sonic 007; BobL; Kazan; NorseViking; Travis McGee; Cathi; Mariner; JonPreston; dforest
Assuming the story is true (because it is CNN, but they aren’t the only ones reporting this): why exactly is “sensitive [American] nuclear technology” in a Ukrainian nuclear power plant?

The letter appears absolutely authentic. I first learned of this from the Eric Cosman Youtube video linked below. The U.S. Department of Energy in 2021 reportedly assessed maintenance procedures and recommended improvements for outage optimization. That is what they reported in public. What they did behind closed doors may have involved a little something something extra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-oNIieAW7E&ab_channel=EmilCosman

US warns Russia! Don't access the secret American technologies at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear PP. Or what??

Emil Cosman@emilcosman90 58K subscribers 5.2K videos

- - - - - - - - - -

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/us-helps-optimize-ukrainian-nuclear-reactor

Office of Nuclear Energy

U.S. Helps Optimize Ukrainian Nuclear Reactor

June 28, 2021

Unit 2 at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is expected to significantly increase its annual power production in Ukraine thanks to an international project supported by the U.S. government. The United States helped implement new maintenance procedures and operations at the reactor that should ultimately strengthen energy security in the country.

Outage Optimization

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) worked with Argonne National Laboratory and Ukrainian company NT-Engineering to help Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and its operator, Energoatom, optimize their maintenance approach at Unit 2. The team assessed the reactor’s system configurations and maintenance routines to identify which services could be safely performed during operation instead of waiting until the reactor was shut down for refueling.

The project also included training for Ukrainian officials and its regulators on the new risk-informed management approach and how this process could be replicated at 12 other VVER 1000 units across the country.

“If this process is replicated at Ukraine’s 12 other VVER 1000 reactors, as Ukraine is now planning to, it will increase the overall power output of Ukraine’s reactor fleet by the equivalent of one new VVER 1000 reactor,” said Igor V. Bodnar, the project manager at Argonne National Laboratory.

The plant itself was built by the USSR in the USSR, starting in 1980.

Ms. Ferkile seems unaware that U.S. law has no jurisdiction in Russia or in a military conflict zone under Russian control. Perhaps she should send them a letter telling the Russians they have no right to reverse engineer the American weaponry used to attack the Russians until they obtain a permission slip from Ms. Ferkile. The plant is now under new management in Russian controlled territory.

Russia took over the plant around February 2022. The newfound cause for concern is the nearing collapse of the Ukrainian forces and the permanency of Russian control. I would expect some attempt to revisit the issue in any peace negotiation, not that the U.S. is a party to the conflict.

Copies of Ms. Ferkile's letter will be cut into 4-inch squares and placed in the little reading room where it may serve some useful purpose.

29 posted on 04/19/2023 2:55:36 PM PDT by woodpusher
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To: woodpusher

If the US didn’t want their ‘technology’ falling into Russian hands, perhaps they shouldn’t have forced Russia to invade Ukraine.


30 posted on 04/19/2023 3:18:27 PM PDT by BobL
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To: dynachrome

This piece is full of lies and fabrications but, this nuke plant has been in Russians hands for a long time now. I wager they have already touched most everything in there.


31 posted on 04/19/2023 3:21:51 PM PDT by dforest (All of America has derailed.)
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To: gundog

One of my favorite gifs.


32 posted on 04/19/2023 3:23:10 PM PDT by dforest (All of America has derailed.)
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To: JonPreston

It was one of the first things Russia did.


33 posted on 04/19/2023 3:25:58 PM PDT by dforest (All of America has derailed.)
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