Per Ukraine’s state electricity company, Russian soldiers have damaged the power line that leads to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl accident once more, following repairs over the weekend.
Ukrainian energy company, Ukrenergo, said in a statement on Monday that electricity had been restored on Sunday evening after being damaged.
However, “before the power supply could be completely repaired, the invading forces compromised it again.”
Reports
The power line that runs through the site is needed to operate gear at the old nuclear power plant to prevent radioactive leakage.
A diesel generator system is installed in the area, which may be utilized in the event of a power outage.
As a bonus, the Associated Press said Belarus has an emergency power source that runs from its close border.
Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear company, said last week the spent fuel assemblies at the plant couldn’t be cooled because of a power outage caused by a broken electrical connection.
In a statement, Energoatom claimed failure to cool the fuel assemblies would result in “the leakage of radioactive chemicals into the atmosphere.”
It was reported by Reuters, “the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Tuesday the structures monitoring nuclear material at the nuclear waste facilities had ceased transmitting data.”
According to Reuters, the irradiated cloud “could be carried by wind to other parts of Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and Europe.”
The United Nations nuclear watchdog said in a statement on Wednesday that the heating rate of the spent fuel storage pool and the amount of cooling water at the power plant are enough for effective heat reduction without the requirement for electricity.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator, Ukrenergo, stated the nuclear power plant in Chornobyl has been completely isolated from the electricity system, due to military activities by Russian troops.
“There is no power supply at the nuclear plant.”
Outrage and Fear
Following the last power outage, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said he was very angry with Russia.
“The only electrical grid supporting the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and all of its nuclear facilities, which are now under the control of the Russian army, has been devastated.”
Reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chornobyl NPP. After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent. Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately! 2/2
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 9, 2022
First, Russian forces took over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
This caused many people to be afraid because they were reminded of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear power plant accident in history.
Ugh. Awful development. "After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost. The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown," said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to head of Chernobyl plant
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022
“Ukrainian authority over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was surrendered after a bloody conflict.”
According to reports, following the fall of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to Russian troops, the condition of the former reactor, containment building, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown.
“The circumstances of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement building, and nuclear waste storage facilities are unknown.”
The possible outcome of a reaction failure would be catastrophic. Reasoning must come into play now more than ever.
