Russian Attacks Put Ukraine‘s Nuclear Power Plant at Risk
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied territory is on the verge of a blackout. The Energy Ministry reported that Russian attacks have left the plant connected to only one transmission line.
This is the second time this week that the plant has been threatened with a blackout. If the last line is cut off, there will be a complete blackout. This could compromise conditions for safe operation and cause an accident.
The Zaporizhzhia plant is the largest nuclear station in Europe. It was occupied by Russia since March 2022. Ukraine’s Energy Minister, Herman Halushchenko, warned that if the last line is cut off, there will be a complete blackout.
Not just the Zaporizhzhia plant is at risk. The Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and Southern Ukrainian plants had to decrease output on November 17 after a massive Russian aerial strike targeted several substations critical to their power supply.
Greenpeace warned that Ukraine’s power grid was at “heightened risk of catastrophic failure” due to the mass missile and drone attack. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, confirmed in a statement on November 17 that Ukraine’s nuclear power plants had to reduce their electricity production as a precautionary measure.
Halushchenko said allowing Ukraine to regain control is the only way to ensure the safe operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
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