Ukraine’s Zaporiza nuclear power plant was temporarily shut off from the power grid on the 25th (local time). It is the aftermath of damage to the last transmission line as a result of a fire caused by shelling near the nuclear power plant. Concerns are growing that the nightmare of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine is coming again.
According to foreign media, a fire broke out in a mountain near the Japo-rija nuclear power plant that day, damaging the last transmission line that connected the nuclear power plant to the outside. There are a total of four transmission lines at the Japoriza nuclear power plant, and three of them have already been damaged during the war. A problem occurred even in the last transmission line, and the connection between the two reactors and Ukraine’s power grid was cut off. This is the first time that the Zaporiza nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has been completely shut off from the grid since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine and Russia claimed the cause of the fire was an attack from the other side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the fire was caused by Russian shelling. “Russia has pushed Europe one step ahead of a radioactive disaster,” President Zelensky said, stating that the standby diesel generators were activated immediately to avoid a catastrophic leak of radioactive material.
Experts believe that if the power supply for cooling the nuclear reactor is not properly supplied, there is a possibility that meltdown (reactor core melting), which causes a nuclear accident, may occur. “Russia is threatening all of Europe,” said Paul Bracan, a professor at Yale University’s Business School, comparing the current situation to Russian roulette. The Russian military has taken control of the Zaporiza nuclear power plant since March. Workers are evacuating in a row as the Russian military pressures Ukrainian workers working at the Zaporiza nuclear power plant, including detaining them.
The Russian side, on the other hand, countered that the fire was caused by an attack by Ukrainian forces and that the last power line was damaged. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi told France 24 that he wanted to go to Zaporiza as soon as possible to check the situation.
Reporter Lee Go-woon [email protected]