Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant only operating on reserve power line

Vladimir Rogov calls IAEA reports of explosions near the Zaporizhzhya NPP a provocation

Image of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine: Credit: Google maps - Виктор Пятов

A statement from the IAEA said that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine is now only operating on a reserve power line.

In a statement released today, Saturday, September 3, Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has almost totally stopped operating.

A team from the UN nuclear watchdog arrived at the facility on Thursday, September 1, to carry out an inspection mission. Located in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, the plant is the largest of its type in Europe and supplies the Kyiv-held territories with electricity.

According to Grossi, senior Ukrainian staff at the Russian-controlled nuclear facility informed him that the last operational external power line was down. Electricity was reportedly still flowing to a nearby thermal power plant through a reserve line. This reserve line can also provide a backup power supply to the plant if it was needed said the statement,

The plant’s other three lines were knocked out earlier in the conflict with Russia. ‘We already have a better understanding of the functionality of the reserve power line in connecting the facility to the grid’, commented Grossi. ‘This is crucial information in assessing the overall situation there’, he added.

Grossi’s statement explained that because of grid restrictions one reactor had to be disconnected today. Power is still being provided to the external grid that supplies homes and businesses by another reactor, which also allows essential safety functions to continue.

In a post on the municipal administration’s Telegram account it announced that ‘The provision of electricity to the territories controlled by Ukraine has been suspended due to technical difficulties’. It is not known whether Russian-occupied territories in the area are still connected to the grid.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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