Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said backup diesel generators were “immediately activated” at the plant on Thursday to prevent a “radioactive catastrophe”. “People need to understand what a threat this is: If the diesel generators had not been turned on, if the automation and the factory staff had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already be forced to overcome the consequences of radiation. accident,” Zelensky said during his nightly speech. The generators are installed to supply power to the cooling pumps to stop the fuel overheating in the event of a power failure. “Russia has brought Ukraine and all Europeans to a situation one step away from a radiological catastrophe,” Zelensky said, adding that officials from the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog, must be granted access as a matter of urgency. In a statement on Thursday, Energoatom said fires at a nearby thermal power plant caused the nuclear plant’s last remaining power line to be disconnected twice. The plant’s other three lines had been “lost earlier during the conflict”, he added. Energoatom blamed Russia for the disconnection. “The attackers’ actions caused a complete disconnection of the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant) from the power grid — the first in the plant’s history.” The nuclear plant, which is the largest in Europe, has been under Russian control since March. Conflicts surrounding the complex have caused widespread concern and fears of destruction. Ukraine has accused Russian troops of using the plant as a shield, risking a potential disaster at the plant. The Kremlin in turn has repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant. The Russian-installed regional governor blamed Ukrainian military action for the outage and added that “they are working to restore power to the region and start up the second power unit.” The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant produces about 20% of Ukraine’s electricity, and a prolonged outage from the national grid would be a huge challenge for Ukraine as colder weather approaches. Negotiations are ongoing for the IAEA to visit the plant. “Almost every day there is a new incident at or near the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. We cannot afford to waste any more time. I am determined to personally lead an IAEA mission to the plant in the coming days to help stabilize the nuclear security situation and security there,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in the statement. He previously told France 24 that he was “very, very close” to a deal with Russia.
A “dangerous situation”
However, Thursday’s disconnection has raised concerns that Moscow is attempting to divert electricity generated in Zaporizhia to Russian-held regions of Ukraine. That view was echoed Monday by Kotin, CEO of Energoatom, Ukraine’s state energy company, who accused Russia of trying to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian grid “and then try to reconnect it to the Russian system.” in an interview with CNN. He said the only way to do that would require a complete shutdown of the plant “and a complete shutdown of all the lines that are connected to the Ukrainian system. Because the frequencies right now are different, Russian frequency and Ukrainian frequency — we are synchronized with the European system and are in sync with Russia.” But he warned when the fourth line is destroyed, “we will have more blackouts across the plant,” he said, describing it as a “dangerous situation” because the plant will depend only on diesel-powered generators, which are unreliable “because they need fuel for their work, and also… have a limited ability to be constantly in a state of work’. Nuclear power plants use a number of auxiliary safety systems, such as diesel generators and external grid connections, to keep the reactors cool. If these systems failed, then the nuclear reactor would heat up rapidly, causing a nuclear meltdown. Citing Ukraine, the IAEA said Thursday that the plant “remained connected to a 330 kV line from the nearby thermal power facility that can provide backup electricity if needed.” The US State Department’s principal deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, said Thursday that “any attempt to disconnect” the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant “from the Ukrainian electricity grid and redirect it to occupied territories is unacceptable.” “It is clear that Russia’s bombing and seizure of Ukraine’s power plants and infrastructure is part of its strategy to create energy crises in Europe. We strongly condemn any action at ZNPP or elsewhere that affects the health and welfare of citizens across the region,” Patel said during an interview with reporters. Top US State Department official Bonnie Jenkins also warned Thursday that Russia’s actions at the plant “have created a serious risk of a nuclear incident, a dangerous release of radioactivity that could threaten not only the people and environment of Ukraine, but and the neighboring countries and the entire international community”. Jenkins, who is undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, called on Russia to halt its military activities around the plant, stressing the importance of an IAEA visit. CNN’s Sam Kiley, Bex Wright, Amy Cassidy and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
