Another nuclear problem in Ukraine: Chernobyl nuclear power plant without electricity
Created: 03/10/2022 13:41
This protective structure covers the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that exploded 36 years ago.
© Efrem Lukatsky/AP/dpa
A blackout brings the nuclear waste in Chernobyl into focus.
Although the International Atomic Energy Agency has given the all-clear for the time being, problems in Ukrainian nuclear plants have been increasing since the beginning of the war.
Vienna - The Ukrainian nuclear power plant Chernobyl occupied by Russian units is cut off from the power supply.
The Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenerho announced that power lines had been damaged by shelling.
Combat operations north of Kyiv are currently preventing any repair work.
Russia, for its part, blamed Ukrainian “nationalists”.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that the plant should be reconnected to the power grid with help from nearby Belarus.
IAEA: Not a critical issue at first
While the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned of a possible nuclear accident, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not believe that a critical problem is looming in Vienna.
Nonetheless, the blackout adds to a list of almost daily incidents at Ukrainian nuclear facilities affected by the invasion of Russian troops.
A devastating nuclear accident happened in Chernobyl in 1986.
Radioactive waste is still stored there today.
However, the spent fuel elements are in sufficiently large cooling pools that would dissipate enough heat even without electricity, the IAEA explained via Twitter.
The power supply is basically an essential safety factor for nuclear facilities.
"In this case, the IAEA sees no critical impact on safety."
Generators in Chernobyl last 48 hours
Foreign Minister Kuleba had previously warned that diesel generators could only make up for the power outage for 48 hours.
"After that, the cooling systems of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility will be shut down, making radiation leaks imminent," he wrote on Twitter.
"(Kremlin leader Vladimir) Putin's war puts all of Europe in danger." The Ukrainian authorities also warned.
Cooling is not possible without electricity, and as a result radioactive particles could be released and spread across Europe by the wind.
Chernobyl to Belarusian power grid
The Russian Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainians of a "very dangerous provocation": "Nationalists" attacked the substation and the power grid systems, said Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov.
However, Russian specialists immediately took action to switch to diesel-powered emergency power sources.
Now the power plant should be permanently connected to the Belarusian energy system, said Pankow.
The cut power line is just one of many problems at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is increasingly cut off from the outside world under Russian control.
According to the IAEA, 210 technicians and local security staff have been on duty for almost two weeks without interruption because there were no more shift changes under Russian control.
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Although they have water and food, their situation is deteriorating.
In addition, the IAEA is no longer connected to its surveillance equipment, which ensures that all nuclear material is in place.
IAEA concerned about reactors in Ukraine
Despite the IAEA's differentiated assessment of the situation, the Viennese nuclear authority is quite worried about the situation in Ukraine, where, apart from Chernobyl, there are 15 nuclear reactors for power generation, three research reactors and other nuclear plants.
According to Ukrainian sources, a training building near a reactor at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been on fire for the past few days after it was shelled.
In addition, since the beginning of the invasion, storage facilities and research facilities with stocks of nuclear material have been damaged.
A devastating nuclear accident happened in Chernobyl in 1986 - radioactive waste is still stored there today.
© Bryan Smith/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
No radioactive radiation was released during these incidents.
However, IAEA boss Rafael Grossi has been pushing for days to negotiate quickly with Ukrainian and Russian representatives in order to work out guarantees for nuclear facilities and avoid serious accidents.
At a press conference on Monday, Grossi let it be known that the talks had not yet taken place because one or both sides had proposed a broader political agenda for the meeting instead of being limited to technical security issues.
dpa