Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Emergency diesel generators have been cooling the large Soviet-era Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine for the ninth day after an external power line was cut, according to its Russian management on Wednesday.
Russia’s state RIA news agency quoted the plant’s Russian-installed management, stating that backup electricity supply is currently adequate, but restoring a regular power supply through the external Dneprovskaya line remains unfeasible due to Ukrainian shelling.
Ukraine has stated that Russian shelling is hindering the restoration of external power. The final external power line to Europe’s largest nuclear power station, the Zaporizhzhia plant, was cut during fighting on September 23.
The plant’s Russian management reported that the emergency generators are adequate for the present and only a few are in use. All equipment is operating normally, they added.
What safety risks arise from prolonged power outages?
As reported, the Zaporizhzhia plant features six reactors of the Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 model, which are water-cooled and water-moderated and contain Uranium 235. Currently, all reactors are shut down, making them cooler than usual.
The risk is that without any power—whether external or from emergency generators—the nuclear fuel located just 500 km from the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster would not be cooled, risking a meltdown.
What does the IAEA say regarding the shutdown?
Power is essential for circulating water to cool the reactors and spent fuel. According to the IAEA and Russia, radiation levels remain normal. Fighting near several large Soviet-era nuclear power stations in Ukraine has repeatedly led to serious warnings from the United Nations’ nuclear agency, the IAEA, concerning the risk of a significant nuclear accident.
“Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been without external power for more than a week now, which is by far the longest-lasting such event during more than three and a half years of war,”
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
“The current status of the reactor units and spent fuel is stable as long as the emergency diesel generators are able to provide sufficient power to maintain essential safety-related functions and cooling,”
Grossi said.
