Zaporizhia NPP without external power for third day, situation is similar to Fukushima – media
External power to the six-reactor Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, Zaporizhia region, was disconnected more than three days ago, which raised concerns about the safety of the plant, according to an article in the British newspaper The Guardian, published on Saturday.
"Emergency generators are being used to power cooling and safety systems after the final power line into the plant was cut on the Russian side at 4.56pm on Tuesday and there is no immediate sign that the line will be reconnected... Western experts and Ukrainian officials fear the Kremlin is manufacturing a crisis to consolidate its grip over the plant, which is Europe’s largest, and that Russia is taking high-risk steps to turn on at least one reactor despite the wartime conditions," the publication said.
Stress tests conducted by European regulators after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan showed that a nuclear power plant must be able to operate without external power for 72 hours. Ukrainian sources told the publication that exceeding that deadline has not yet been tested. IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi said the loss of external power "increases the likelihood of a nuclear accident."
Seven out of 18 available generators are powering cooling on site but if they were to fail, Ukrainian sources said, there would be a risk that the nuclear fuel in the six reactors would heat uncontrollably over a period of weeks, leading to a meltdown. "An accelerated version of this scenario happened at Fukushima because the reactors had just been operating. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and the hot reactors on the site were automatically shut down in response. Emergency generators continued to pump cooling water around the reactor but these were knocked out by a tsunami that followed minutes later. Three nuclear cores at the plant melted down within three days, though the fuel remained contained. Nobody was killed but more than 100,000 were evacuated," the report reads.
According to the publication, there are signs that Russia is building a new power line from occupied Maripol to Zaporizhia NPP to resolve the crisis. Satellite images also showed that the Russian occupiers built a dam across the inlet canal to Zaporizhia NPP in the summer to create a safer source of water. Greenpeace nuclear energy experts believe that Russia has enough water to restart one of the six reactors. The station's appointed director, Yuriy Chernichuk, said the process of integrating Zaporizhia NPP into the Russian grid is "in its final stages," while restarting any nuclear reactor during wartime would be dangerous.
Senior nuclear energy specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine Shaun Burnie called on the IAEA head to intervene: "Grossi needs to immediately tell the Russian government to abandon its plans for reactor restart and to make clear that they alone are responsible for the nuclear safety and security crisis."
External power to Zaporizhia NPP has been lost nine times before, each time due to damage to a line in Ukrainian government-controlled territory as a result of Russian troops striking the power infrastructure. However, on Tuesday, the line was damaged on the Russian side, about two kilometers from the plant. The Russian side claims that repairs are hindered by "ongoing shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces," while the Ukrainian side denies the accusations and claims that it never fires at or around the plant, the article reads.
As reported, on Friday, Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said Zaporizhia NPP has been operating for two days in a row with violations of operating conditions due to damage to a single power transmission line due to Russian shelling. "Zaporizhia NPP has been in a blackout for the second day, which is a significant violation of normal operating conditions. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe runs on diesel generators. This is the 10th blackout of Zaporizhia NPP," she said.
"Just last week in Vienna, I held numerous meetings with colleagues on the sidelines of the 69th IAEA General Conference. As a result of the conference, a resolution was adopted in which the IAEA demands the immediate de-occupation of Zaporizhia NPP and its return to full control of Ukraine. The document, supported by 62 member states, contains a direct call for the immediate withdrawal of all unauthorized military and other personnel from Zaporizhia NPP," Hrynchuk said on Facebook and called for increased "pressure on the Russians to demilitarize and de-occupy the plant as soon as possible."
