At the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, all reactors have again been shut down due to shelling. A high-voltage line was disabled due to a fire, Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom reported on Telegram on Monday. This led to the emergency shutdown of the last unit in operation – which supplied the Ukrainian grid and the nuclear power plant itself.
According to the operator, block five had already been shut down on Saturday because the shelling had caused enormous damage to a line. As a result of the massive shelling, there is currently a risk of violating radiation and fire protection. In the past three days, all five power lines to the nuclear power plant and the nearby thermal power plant had been damaged by artillery fire, it said. There is no longer any connection to the Ukrainian electricity grid.
Operator: Weapons stored on the site
Energoatom complained that Russia had stationed military personnel, weapons and ammunition at the site. Ukraine enlisted international aid to persuade Russian troops to withdraw. Russia denies having heavy weapons there and also refuses to return the nuclear power plant because Ukraine cannot guarantee its security.
A week and a half ago, on August 25, there was also an emergency shutdown of the two reactors in operation, followed by a power outage in the occupied southern Ukrainian territories.
IAEA inspectors on site
The nuclear power plant was captured shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in early March. Two experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are currently at the power plant to monitor the security situation. The IAEA experts have been looking for damage at the nuclear power plant since Thursday.
Artillery fire on the power plant site, which had been mounting for weeks, had heightened international fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Moscow and Kiev accuse each other of shelling on the site of the power plant and the surrounding area.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
