The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been without power for nine days. If it is not restored urgently, a nuclear disaster will occur.
Points of attention
- Zaporizhzhia NPP is at risk of a nuclear accident due to the lack of power supply, which must be urgently restored to prevent a potential disaster.
- Russian occupiers in the temporarily occupied territory have damaged the power lines, posing significant obstacles to the restoration of power supply to the plant.
- The threat of reactor overheating and the release of radioactive substances is imminent if external power supply is not restored promptly.
Zaporizhzhia NPP is under threat of nuclear accident
This was stated by the Chief State Inspector for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine, Oleg Korikov.
According to him, due to damage by the Russians to the 750-kilovolt line in the area of the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, there has been no electricity at the ZNPP for nine days now. The damage is located in the territory temporarily occupied by the Russians.
At the same time, the operation of the ZNPP safety systems is ensured by the operation of diesel generators. So far, they provide enough energy to ensure the cooling of nuclear fuel in six reactors.
We characterize this as an emergency situation that has not escalated into an accident, but may escalate if urgent response measures are not taken — in particular, the immediate restoration of external power supply.
He added that this happened as a result of the Russian occupation of the ZNPP. The occupiers not only completely ignore nuclear safety rules, but also deliberately create obstacles to the restoration of power supply to the plant.
If external power supply is not restored, the temperature of the water in the reactors will rise. The water cools the nuclear fuel: it can overheat, causing radioactive products to escape into and out of the reactor.
Since September 23, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has experienced its tenth blackout since the start of the full-scale war. Energoatom reported that the last external power transmission line connecting the plant to the Ukrainian energy system has stopped working.
