Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, called on the staff of the organization right now, after today’s blackout of the plant, to take on the obligation to protect the safety of the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
He said that today at about 5:00 ZNPP completely lost external power supplywhen the last 750 kilovolt line was switched off. The only reserve line of 330 kilovolts was damaged a few days ago, repair work continues there.
The head of the IAEA stressed that this is the first case since November 23, 2022, when the station is completely disconnected from power. Now Zaporozhye NPP works on emergency diesels – the last line of defense. All 20 emergency diesel generators are turned on: eight of them provide the main power, the rest are in standby mode. Grossi noted that diesel is enough for 15 days of work.
The Director General of the IAEA saidthat this is the sixth time that Zaporizhia NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has lost its off-site power supply and has been forced to operate in emergency mode:
“What are we doing? How can we sit here in this room this morning and let this happen? It can’t go on like this. I’m amazed at the complacency – what are we doing to prevent this from happening? We are the IAEA, we are called to take care of nuclear safety “Every time we roll the dice. And if we let it continue, then one day our success will end. We need action. I will continue urgent consultation and contacts.”
The NAEK noted that the 5th and 6th power units are being transferred to a cold state. Now 18 diesel generators have been turned on to supply the ZNPP’s own needs. But there is fuel for their work only for 10-15 days. NNEGC “Energoatom” warns:
“If it is impossible to resume the external power supply to the station during this time, an accident may occur with radiation consequences for the whole world.”
On the night of March 9, as a result of rocket attacks by the Russian Federation, the last line of communication between the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and the Ukrainian energy system was disconnected. Due to Russian missile strikes, the station went into blackout mode for the sixth time during the fighting.
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