The IAEA describes the resumption of hostilities as “grossly irresponsible” and will continue negotiating a “security zone”
Ukraine, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have confirmed this Saturday that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has returned to being disconnected from the electrical network after recent night bombings of which both countries have once again accused each other.
The Ukrainian energy operator Energoatom confirmed early this Saturday that “the last line of communication with the electrical system was disconnected at 00:59 (local time)” and that the plant now it works only with diesel generators.
The Russian administrator of Zaporizhia, Vladimir Rogov, It has also confirmed the disconnection of the plant “as a result of the bombardment by the Ukrainian troops.”
The Ukrainian government estimates that the plant will only be able to function in this way for 10 days. “It is necessary to repair and restore the operation of the communication lines of the ZNPP with the electrical system,” according to Energoatom’s statement on its Facebook page.
under Russian control
The plant, the largest in Europe and currently under the control of the Russian military, was last disconnected from the electricity grid on September 5.
Considered one of the great strategic points of the war, Russia and Ukraine have been accusing each other practically since the beginning of the conflict of carrying out bombings that constantly hinder the operation of the facility.
The IAEA has also confirmed the shutdown of the plant after the attacks. The plant “has lost its last remaining source of external energy due to the resumption of bombing and now depends on generators,” the agency’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in a statement.
Once the situation stabilized, 10 of the generators were shut down, leaving six to provide the reactors with the necessary electricity. The IAEA reminds that all six reactors are cold shut down but they require electricity for vital nuclear safety and security functions.
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For now, all safety systems at the plant continue to receive power and function normally, senior Ukrainian operational staff at the site told IAEA experts.
However, Grossi considers that “grossly irresponsible” the resumption of bombing and has announced his intention to travel soon to Russia and Ukraine to “agree on a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant” as “an absolute and urgent imperative.”