A power line, which supplies electricity to Ukraine’s Zaporijia nuclear power plant, was temporarily damaged after a bombing on Thursday, while a “precarious security situation” remains at the Moscow-controlled facilities, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainian team that operates Europe’s largest nuclear power plant reported the situation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN agency released in a statement this Friday.
The damaged pipeline supplied electricity to reactor 6 at the Zaporijia plant and its interruption forced the temporary use of emergency diesel generators.
“Five diesel generators began to power this reactor after a 150 kilovolt (kV) line was disconnected during the bombing raids that took place in an industrial area outside the site,” the IAEA also stressed.
Shelling at an industrial site outside Ukraine #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear power plant (#ZNPP) yesterday damaged a power line that supplies electricity to reactor unit 6, forcing the unit to temporarily rely on its emergency diesel generators instead. https://t.co/t0PPh7yVJB pic.twitter.com/FsNQDk1W7K
– IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) October 7, 2022
In the press release, the UN body also assures that the cooling of the reactor core was maintained at all times for an hour and a half while the diesel generators were in operation and an alternative energy source was provided for four other reactors. connected to the device.
“The incident highlighted once again the precarious nuclear security situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which is now in an active war zone,” the IAEA warned, citing the Ukrainian team.
For his part, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, quoted in the press release, praised the work of the Ukrainian team “once again”.
“Repeatedly, the factory’s courageous, skilled and experienced operators find solutions to solve the serious problems that still arise as a result of the conflict,” he emphasized.
“However, this is not a sustainable way to operate a nuclear power plant. There is an urgent need to create a more stable environment for the plant and its employees,” he added.
Grossi called for the creation of a conservation zone around the factory, a topic he raised on Thursday in Kiev during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and which he will also discuss with Russian authorities in Moscow next week.
This Friday, four IAEA specialists took over the support mission of this entity at the Zaporijia plant, replacing the two who had held these positions since September 1.
With six reactors, the Zaporijia nuclear power plant has not produced electricity since 9/11, when the last reactor in operation was shut down.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ordering the government to take over the nuclear power plant, which has been under the control of the Russian military since March, a decision that was rejected by Ukraine and the international community.
Rafael Grossi confirmed on Thursday that Zaporijia is also from Ukraine for the IAEA.
“It is clear to us, it is a Ukrainian facility, it is owned by Energoatom [empresa nuclear pública da Ucrânia]”, the IAEA official assured at a press conference in Kiev.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on Feb. 24 has already resulted in more than 13 million people having fled — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.5 million to European countries — according to the most recent UN data, which rank this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and to impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
Source: DN
