Ex-head of Chornobyl plant raises fears over Y2K bug (11/08/98)

Ex-head of Chornobyl plant raises fears over Y2K bug

Eastern Economist

KYIV - Serhiy Parashin, director of the international center Energy and Information - 21st Century, appealed on October 21 to the government to take immediate measures to resolve the Millennium Problem in Ukraine.

Possible computer crashes on the night of December 31, 1999, at the five Ukrainian nuclear stations could lead to a "crash of the entire energy system in Ukraine," he said. Speaking about possible solutions to the problem, Mr. Parashin, a former head of the Chornobyl Atomic Energy Station, stated "We are very late already."

He said at present it would be more reasonable to start preparing emergency plans for the possible evacuation of people from large cities rather than trying to examine and fix billions of lines of programming data. He said this problem has not been taken seriously by the government and the Verkhovna Rada, and only one Cabinet of Ministers decree, in August, has been issued demanding that nuclear stations introduce necessary changes to software and report to the Cabinet in the summer of 1999.

Mr. Parashin said that no nuclear station has so far taken any action whatsoever. He added that the draft state budget for 1999 does not provide funds to resolve this problem. According to experts, around $10 million (U.S.) is needed to take all necessary actions in Ukraine.

The U.S. government now demands that all computer firms have certificates of the year 2000 compatibility. "If Ukrainian companies want to export, they will have to be certified," said Mr. Parashin. So far, this problem has been largely ignored by both the government and private companies.

The Y2K problem, as it is called, can also cause problems with the banking system and "the payment system might grind to a halt," warned Mr. Parashin. He added that the National Bank of Ukraine also has not taken any steps. Mr. Parashin said Ukraine should appeal for U.S. aid to help resolve this problem, as the U.S. has promised to provide other countries with a total of $120 million to address the millennium bug issue.

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