External power supply to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been cut off for more than three days. This record outage has raised concerns about the safety of the ZNPP, reports The Guardian, writes UNN.
Details
After the Russians cut off the last power line on September 23, emergency generators are being used for cooling and safety systems. There are currently no signs that the line will be restored, the publication writes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi called the situation "deeply disturbing" and met with Kremlin head Vladimir Putin, but the situation has not changed.
Western experts and Ukrainian officials fear that the Kremlin is escalating the crisis to strengthen its control over the ZNPP, and that Russia is taking very risky steps to launch at least one reactor.
"Russia is using the nuclear power plant as a bargaining chip," said one Ukrainian official.
Stress tests conducted by European specialists at the Japanese Fukushima reactor in 2011 showed that a nuclear power plant can operate without external power supply for 72 hours. Exceeding this period has not been tested before, the publication notes.
The ZNPP has already lost external power supply nine times. Each time this happened due to shelling by Russian invaders of energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The last power line with a voltage of 750 kilovolts passed through the Dnieper River, and Ukraine was ready to supply electricity to ensure safety, the publication indicates.
On September 23, the line was damaged in the occupied part, approximately 1.5 kilometers from the ZNPP. Russia stated that repair work was "complicated by constant shelling from the Ukrainian military." Ukraine insists that it never fires at or near the ZNPP, given all the risks.
The IAEA stated that, according to Russia, there is enough diesel fuel to power the generators for 20 days without replenishment. But despite this, Grossi said that the loss of external power supply "increases the likelihood of a nuclear accident."
Addition
On Thursday, September 25, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi met with Kremlin head Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
On September 26, for the second day in a row, the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was forced to operate on diesel generators due to the loss of external power supply.