Due to the Russian shelling of the energy infrastructure of the city of Slavutych in the Kyiv region, an emergency situation arose at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant facilities, reported the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine on its Telegram channel.
The department stated that due to voltage fluctuations, the "new safe confinement, which is a key facility isolating the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and preventing the release of radioactive materials into the environment," was left without power supply.
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the blackout at the facilities of the former Chernobyl nuclear station lasted more than three hours. "This, in particular, is the new shelter that protects the environment from the remnants of the fourth power unit of the station after the 1986 explosion and radioactive debris and dust. It is also a storage for spent nuclear fuel, where 80% of all such spent fuel accumulated during the operation of the nuclear power plant is stored. These are spent fuel assemblies with a total weight of more than 3250 tons," he wrote.
The President of Ukraine also reminded that the blackout at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been ongoing for eight days, which began due to Russian shelling in the area of the station. "And the Russians are doing absolutely nothing to rectify the situation and allow Ukrainian specialists to restore external power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which should function continuously under normal conditions. Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents, unfortunately taking advantage of the weak position of the IAEA and Director Rafael Grossi, as well as the distraction of global attention," Zelensky stated.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that there were "power supply disruptions" at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant due to the loss of connection to the "Slavutych" substation.
"The facility promptly switched to backup lines, and power supply was restored, except for the New Safe Confinement (NSC). <...> Two emergency diesel generators are now supplying power to the NSC," the agency's message stated.
Photo: Reuters