Tag: IAEA

Amid Fear Of Nuclear Disaster, Last Reactor At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Shuts Down

By LokMarg

In the wake of increasing fears of nuclear disaster, the last operational reactor at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine has been entirely shut, the state agency in charge of the plant, Energoatom said on Sunday.

“The facility was “completely stopped” after it disconnected the Number 6 power unit from the grid at 3:41 am (00:41 GMT),” the statement read.
“A decision was made to shut down power unit No 6 and transfer it to the safest state – cold shutdown,” it said on Telegram, Al Jazeera reported.

The company reiterated that the shutdown was necessary to avoid the risk of further damage to the power lines as it remained high.

As per Al Jazeera, the six-reactor Zaporizhzhia plant was cut off from the grid last week after all its power lines were disconnected as a result of clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the area.

However, Energoatom further said it restored to operational capacity a communications line to the power system, allowing the plant to be powered by Ukraine’s energy system long enough to initiate the shutdown.

Notably, Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of damaging power lines supplying the plant with rocket and artillery fire, risking a severe radiation disaster as war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate.

Furthermore, Kyiv on Wednesday called for residents of Russian-occupied areas around the plant which is Europe’s largest, to evacuate for their own safety.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long back called for the surrounding area to be demilitarized, according to Al Jazeera.

On August 31, the fourteen-membered team of the IAEA arrived in Ukraine.

During their visit, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said that the physical integrity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in south-eastern Ukraine has been “violated”.

“I worry, and I will continue to be worried about the plant until we have a situation which is more stable, which is more predictable. It is obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant have been violated several times by chance [and] by deliberation,” Grossi told reporters after his visit to the plant.

During the military operation in Ukraine, launched by Russia on February 24, the nuclear plant and surrounding area fell under the control of the Russian forces. The NPP has recently been targeted by multiple shelling, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident while Russia and Ukraine continue to blame each other for the shelling incidents. (ANI)

Blackout Near Ukraine Nuclear Plant: IAEA Chief

By LokMarg

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, on Friday, said that after shelling at Enerhodar city of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the city saw a complete power blackout.

“The power infrastructure feeding the city of Enerhodar, home to the NPP’s operators and their families, has been destroyed by shelling of the switchyard at the city’s thermal power plant, leading to a complete power blackout in Enerhodar: no running water, no power, no sewage,” Grossi said as quoted by the official statement from IAEA.
He further said that as the shelling continues, there is little likelihood of re-establishing reliable offsite power to the ZNPP, especially as the shelling continually and repeatedly damages the power infrastructure.

Grossi said that the IAEA understands that the operator, who has no confidence in the restoration of power, is considering shutting down the remaining operating reactor. “The entire power plant would then be entirely reliant on emergency diesel generators for ensuring vital nuclear safety and security functions. And as a consequence, the operator would not be able to restart the reactors unless offsite power was reliably re-established,” IAEA Chief said.

“Furthermore, there are indications that, with the increasingly dire circumstances that the people of Energodar are facing, there is a significant risk of an impact on the availability of essential staff on site to continue to safely and securely operate ZNPP,” he added.

Calling the situation unsustainable, Grossi said that Enerhodar has gone dark and the power plant has no offsite power. “And we have seen that once the infrastructure is repaired, it is again damaged,” he added.

Grossi called the situation unacceptable and said that he cannot stand it. He called for the immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area. “Only this will ensure the safety and security of operating staff and allow the durable restoration of power to Enerhodar and to the power plant. This dramatic development demonstrates the absolute imperative to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone now. This is the only way to ensure that we do not face a nuclear accident,” the IAEA chief added.

Last week, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia once again went off in the early hours of the day amid the shelling that destroyed a key power line.

These claims came a day after a team of inspections from the UN nuclear agency arrived at the plant to inspect the damage, Al Jazeera reported citing local Russian-backed authorities.

On August 31, the 14-member team of the IAEA arrived in Ukraine and now the team is back. (ANI)