External power line at Zaporizhzhia NPP shut down due to Russian shelling, blackout threat looms
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
On Thursday, April 4, the external overhead line of the Zaporizhzhia TPP- Ferrosplavna 330kV overhead line was disconnected due to Russian shelling. Through it, the temporarily occupied Situation at occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant received power from the Ukrainian power system to meet its own needs, according to the Energoatom power generating company.
"At present, Europe's largest nuclear power plant is connected to the Ukrainian power system only by the 750kV overhead power line Dniprovska, which has recently been restored by Ukrainian power engineers," the message says.
This once again threatens to cause an emergency at the temporarily occupied ZNPP, because if this last line of communication with the national grid is disconnected, the plant will be on the verge of another blackout, which is a serious violation of the conditions for safe operation of the plant.
In addition, Energoatom states that ZNPP should immediately come under the full control of Ukraine, its legal operator, Energoatom. In addition, Russia must withdraw its military and military equipment from the plant.
Situation at occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Zaporizhzhia NPP, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, was occupied by Russian invaders at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian invaders deployed military equipment on the territory of ZNPP. Throughout the occupation, the plant was disconnected from Ukraine's power systems several times.
Recently, the plant was visited by IAEA experts, who conduct rotations from time to time. It should be noted that last time the Russians did not allow the IAEA to enter the reactor halls at ZNPP.
Since the beginning of the Russian occupation, at least 8 complete blackouts have already occurred at Zaporizhzhia NPP. Such incidents can threaten nuclear and radiation safety not only in Ukraine but also in other countries.
The IAEA has also recently announced that it has discovered new mines on the territory of Zaporizhzhia NPP.
