Zaporizhia
Operator: Russia wants to connect nuclear power plants to Crimea
A Russian soldier guards an area of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. photo
© -/AP/dpa
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been in the hands of Russian troops since March. After the shelling a few days ago, the operator accuses Russia of wanting to disconnect the nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian grid.
The Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia, occupied by Russian troops, is still in operation despite the shelling a few days ago. “The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant works with the risk of violating the requirements for radiation and fire safety,” said the power plant operator Enerhoatom in the news service Telegram.
The head of the authority had previously accused the Russian troops of wanting to uncouple the power plant from the Ukrainian grid with the shelling. After the emergency shutdown of one unit, two reactors of the power plant are currently in operation.
The largest nuclear power plant in Europe
The power plant in the town of Enerhodar in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with six blocks and a net output of 5,700 megawatts. The Russian army captured it in early March, shortly after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of shelling the site last weekend.
On Tuesday, the head of Enerhoatom, Petro Kotin, accused the Russians of deliberately destroying three high-voltage lines. This should prepare the connection of the nuclear power plant to the Crimean Peninsula, 150 kilometers away.
“In order to switch the nuclear power plant to Crimea, they have to shut down the entire south of Ukraine, the occupied part of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions,” Kotin explained on television. After that, these areas would be gradually reconnected to the power grid from Crimea and then synchronized with the Russian power grid. Then the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could no longer be connected to the Ukrainian energy grid.
The background to this is a July announcement that the power lines to Russia’s annexed Crimea, which were destroyed in 2015, had been repaired. In addition, Ukraine and neighboring Moldova had disconnected from the former Soviet power grid shortly after the start of the war at the end of February. In March, both countries were then connected to the European electricity network.
Moscow: World “walks on the abyss”
The Russian Foreign Ministry has made serious allegations against the United Nations regarding the escalation surrounding the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “Unfortunately, the UN played a negative role in this case,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state radio station Sputnik.
The diplomat accused the responsible authorities in the United Nations of preventing an inspection trip by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and thus provoking an escalation of the situation. “In the UN Secretariat, which deals with the problems of nuclear energy, including the consequences of technical disasters and the problem in the broadest sense, they should understand that the world is on the brink,” Zakharova said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry had already complained in a statement on Tuesday that a planned trip by the IAEA representatives to the nuclear power plant had failed at the last minute due to security concerns from the UN Secretariat. Zakharova now added and spoke of “irresponsible action”. Russia has requested a special session of the UN Security Council for Thursday. The Council is to be informed by IAEA boss Grossi about the condition of the nuclear power plant.
G7 call for Ukrainian control
The foreign ministers of the seven leading democratic economic powers (G7) have called on Moscow to immediately return Zaporizhia to full control of Ukraine. “Ukrainian personnel responsible for the operation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure,” said the Foreign Office in Berlin in a statement by the G7 foreign ministers. “It is Russia’s continued domination of the nuclear power plant that is endangering the region,” the panel said.
The G7 also extended their request to all other nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders to ensure their safe and secure operation. Germany currently chairs the G7 group, which also includes France, Great Britain, Italy, the USA, Canada and Japan.
G7 foreign ministers warned that Russia’s actions significantly increase the risk of a nuclear accident or incident and endanger the people of Ukraine, neighboring countries and the world community.