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00:00I WANT TO BRING IN MARK NELSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT RADIANT ENERGY, AND AN EXPERT ON NUCLEAR POWER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THERE HAS BEEN MISINFORMATION ABOUT THIS AND A LOT OF FEAR. I WANT TO HEAR YOUR VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THIS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, AND THE STATUS OF IT TODAY. MARK: THANKS, EMILY. THERE WAS A LOT OF FEAR. SOME OF WHAT I WILL SAY ABOUT THE TIMELINE IS DEFINITELY HINDSIGHT, WE KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. THE PLANT -- WE KNOW THAT IT IS IN OPERATION WITH ONE OUT OF THE SIX UNITS. BUT WHAT OCCURRED LAST NIGHT, YOU COULD SAY IT WAS THE PEAK IN THREE DAYS OF ESCALATING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN FORCES AND VERY ANGRY LOCALS. THE PLANT IS LOCATED IN A CITY NAMED " ENERGY ' S GIFT. " THE LOCALS ARE VERY PROUD OF THEIR PLANT AND DIDN ' T WANT TO GIVE IT UP. THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SOME CLASH BETWEEN RUSSIAN FORCES AND PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE PLANT, OUTSIDE OF THE, YOU MIGHT SAY THE NUCLEAR-SAFETY AREA OF THE PLANT. THERE WAS A VERY BRIGHT LIGHT, WHAT LOOKED LIKE CROWD-DISPERSANT MUNITIONS, AND LATER, VIDEO OF SOME ARMAMENTS FOUND ON THE UN-GUARDED OR UN- ARMORED CROSSWALKS. WHAT OCCURRED WAS A FIRE THAT WE CAN SEE IN THE VIDEO. IN THE EMPLOYEE TRAINING CENTER. THE FIREFIGHTERS PUT IT OUT. PLANT REMAINED IN OPERATION, ONE OF THE SIX REACTORS ON, IT IS 60% POWER AND WHEN, THE SUN CAME UP, WE HEARD NEWS FROM THE IAEA THAT THEY HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE PROFESSIONAL OPERATORS AND THE PLANT IN THE MORNING WAS IN RUSSIAN CONTROL. EMILY: THERE WAS INFORMATION FROM YOU COULDN ' T OFFICIALS CALLING THIS DANGEROUS, SAYING THAT IF IT DOES, IT COULD 8:10 ' S CHERNOBYL. WAS THAT ACCURATE? HOW DANGEROUS HOW WAS -- HOW DANGEROUS WAS THIS? MARK: THAT WAS INACCURATE. THESE PLANTS CANNOT GO OFF LIKE CHERNOBYL. THEY ARE NOT 1X CHERNOBYL. CHERNOBYL WAS RADICALLY DIFFERENT, WITH NO CONTAINMENT ZONE. THESE PLANTS ARE SMALL REACTORS INSIDE A ONE-METER THICK CONCRETE, VERY STRONG AND THICK REINFORCED STEEL REBAR. SO IT WAS NEVER GOING TO GO OFF, THAT WAS ALWAYS FOLLOWS. AND IF THERE IS ANY NATION IN THE WORLD THAT WOULD UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHERNOBYL AND THE REACTOR THAT THEY RELY ON EVERYDAY, IT WOULD UKRAINE. I DON ' T WANT TO QUESTION THE MOTIVES, BUT IT SEEMS GROSSLY IRRESPONSIBLE FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND CERTAINLY THAT WAS THE HEADLINE THAT CAPTURED PEOPLE ' S ATTENTION. I FIELDED INQUIRIES FROM YOUNG PARENTS HISTORICALLY WONDERING ABOUT THEIR CHILD AS FAR AWAY AS SWEDEN, AND I HAVE HAD TO SAY NO, FOULS, THAT ' S WRONG. I HAVE HAD TO WALK PEOPLE THROUGH THE STEPS OF HOW THIS FACILITY IS NOT IN ANYWAY, SHAPE OR FORM, CAPABLE OF DOING 10X OR 1X CHERNOBYL. EMILY: SO WHAT IS THE DANGER IF RUSSIA CAPTURES THE POWER PLANT. HOW DANGEROUS IS IT? WHAT SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT? MARK: EACH OF THE PLANT HAS A VALUABLE UP TO CITY PRODUCTION IN THE TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. SO IT IS NOT CLEAR WHY RUSSIAN WOULD INTENTIONALLY DAMAGE THE PLANTS THAT THEY OPERATE OVER THE BORDER IN THEIR COUNTRY. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT THEY WOULD TRY TO DAMAGE. LET ' S LOOK AT WHAT THE SAFETY SITUATION WOULD BE IF SOMETHING HAPPENED. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE HEAVY CONCRETE DORMS TRAP ANYTHING THAT GOES WRONG INSIDE. VERY INTENSE BOMBARDMENT, MORE THAN CRASHING JET PLANES. THEY CAN SURVIVE THAT EASILY. SOMETHING IMMENSE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAPPEN TO CAUSE THOSE THINGS TO EVENT. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME REACTORS LIKE IN FUKUSHIMA. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAPPEN WOULD BE A COMPLETE LOSS OF OFF-SITE POWER, SAY A COMPLETE GRID COLLAPSE, OR TRANSMISSION LINES SHUTDOWN, OR IF THE PLANT WAS DISCONNECTED -- THAT WOULD LEAD TO INTERMEDIATE SHUTDOWN OF THE PLANT. IT WOULD LEAD TO AN AUTOMATIC SHUTDOWN OF THE SENSORS. AFTER THE SHUTDOWN, EMERGENCY SAFETY PROCEDURES WOULD COME ON. THIS EQUIPMENT WOULD PROTECT THE PLANT UNLESS THAT ITSELF WERE SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AND INTERFERED WITH. SO THERE ARE MANY DEFENSES FROM THE SMALLEST INSIDE OF THE REACTOR, ALL THE WAY OUT, INCREASINGLY MASSIVE AND STRONG

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Nuclear Power Plant Attack 'Grossly Irresponsible': Radiant MD

Radiant Energy Managing Director Mark Nelson joins Emily Chang to break down what happened at the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine, what the risks actually are if the plant goes off line, and what the capture of nuclear power plants during war time means in the context of Putin's strategy. (Source: Bloomberg)

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