Status: 09/11/2022 09:38 a.m
The operation of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia has been completely stopped for safety reasons. The sixth and last reactor block was also taken off the grid. But the security risk remains high.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian troops, has been completely shut down, according to Ukrainian sources. “It was decided to put reactor block number six in the safest state – the cold state,” said the Ukrainian nuclear agency Enerhoatom on its Telegram channel. Preparations for cooling the reactor and bringing it to a cold state are underway.
The site of the power plant in the city of Enerhodar was repeatedly hit by shells, for which Russia and Ukraine blame each other. They accuse each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
Already for three days in “island operation”
According to Enerhoatom, the nuclear power plant has been operating in “island mode” for the past three days – that is, it is only producing electricity for its own use because all lines connecting to the Ukrainian power grid have been interrupted by the shelling.
A line to the power grid was then restored on Saturday evening. As a result, it was decided to supply the nuclear power plant via this line, to shut down the last functioning reactor block and to cool it down to a safe cold state.
risk remains high
However, the risk of further damage to the line remains high, according to Enerhoatom. If necessary, the cooling must be operated with diesel generators. However, due to the technological resources and the amount of available fuel, this is only possible for a limited time.
Already in August there was an emergency shutdown of the power plant. This was preceded by a shelling of the plant. The information cannot be independently verified.
IAEA calls for demilitarized zone
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian government called on residents around the nuclear power plant to leave the area and get to safety.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are calling for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear power plant site. The city of Enerhodar is located in the Zaporizhia region, near the border with the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. Fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops keeps breaking out there.
Topic overview
war in Ukraine