Vienna: Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the country’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) today temporarily lost connection to its last remaining operational 750 kilovolt (kV) external power line.
There was no information immediately available on the direct cause of the power cuts at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The six-reactor ZNPP normally has four external power lines, but three of them were lost earlier during the conflict. The IAEA stated it remains in close contact with Ukraine and will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available.
American President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had a telephonic conversation today, called for Russia to return full control of the ZNPP to Ukraine and for IAEA access to the plant.
Today’s power line event comes after a series of shelling incidents this month in the area of the ZNPP that caused some damage at the plant and sparked deepening concern about nuclear safety and security at the facility, which is controlled by Russian forces but remains operated by its Ukrainian staff.
“Almost every day there is a new incident at or near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. We can’t afford to lose any more time. I’m determined to personally lead an IAEA mission to the plant in the next few days to help stabilise the nuclear safety and security situation there,” IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
Grossi stressed that the development further underlined the urgent need for an IAEA expert mission to travel to the nuclear facility.
Ukraine told the IAEA that the ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, at least twice lost connection to the power line during the day but that it was currently up again. It said the ZNPP remained connected to a 330 kV line from the nearby thermal power facility that can provide backup electricity if needed.
Ukraine also informed the IAEA that as a result of the cuts in the 750 kV power line, the ZNPP’s two operating reactor units were disconnected from the electricity grid and their emergency protection systems were triggered, while all safety systems remained operational, the Director General said. All six units remained disconnected from the grid also after the power line was restored, Ukraine said.
A secure off-site power supply from the grid is essential for ensuring nuclear safety. This requirement is among the seven indispensable nuclear safety and security pillars that the Director General outlined at the beginning of the conflict. In the case of a loss of external power, the ZNPP – like other nuclear power plants around the world – still has diesel generators available to provide backup power.
As part of his active consultations and preparations for the mission, the Director General met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris earlier today.
– global bihari bureau
