By Rostyslav Averchuk
Lviv (EFE).- The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russia, has been without an external power supply for two weeks now, amid warnings by Kyiv and energy experts that Russian plans to connect the station to its grid and restart at least one reactor pose a significant threat to nuclear safety.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has labeled the situation as “very concerning” after the International Atomic Energy Agency informed on Monday of incoming and outgoing shelling close to the plant.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), around 15 explosions were heard by its monitoring mission at the plant, controlled by the Russian military since its capture at the start of the invasion.
The attacks are “part of Russia’s deliberate strategy to obstruct repair works,” Ukraine’s ministry has underlined, urging for more international pressure and sanctions against Russia.
Off the grid
The plant lost its access to Ukraine’s electricity grid, which is needed to service its currently idle reactors, after the last available line was damaged on Sep. 23 in Russian-controlled territory.
While Russia has blamed Ukraine, there are no traces of shelling in the area on that date, according to the analysis of satellite images by Greenpeace and McKenzie Intelligence Services.
Greenpeace and Ukrainian experts believe that Russia has deliberately severed the connection to the power supply as part of its plan to integrate the plant into its own electricity grid.
Moscow has voiced such plans publicly, independent nuclear expert Olga Kosharna said, writing for Ukraine’s Anti-Crisis Expert Nuclear Center.
In September, Sergey Kirienko, the deputy head of Vladimir Putin’s presidential administration, visited the plant and reiterated the need to prepare the reactors for a restart.
In May, the nearby Zaporizhia thermal power plant was connected to Russia’s grid, apparently reinforcing its belief it can do the same with the nuclear plant.
Nuclear risks
The attempt to activate even one reactor would lead to “enormous” nuclear risks, Volodymyr Omelchenko, energy expert at the Razumkov Center, told EFE.
Experts noted that the station lacks enough qualified personnel and its technical state has likely deteriorated after three years of occupation, during which some of the required maintenance was not carried out. Its access to the water needed for cooling operating reactors is also uncertain after the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir.
For now, according to the IAEA, eight generators are working to supply the required electricity, while there are at least nine more back-up devices, as well as a 10-day reserve of diesel fuel.
According to experts, this means there is no immediate threat of a radioactive incident at the station, as generators could provide enough power for months.
However, Russia is deliberately stoking such fears to substantiate the need to connect the plant to its grid in the eyes of the international community, Omelchenko underlined.
Solutions and international response
Ukraine has repeatedly urged its partners to increase its pressure on Russia to stop its “nuclear blackmail.”
However, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rosatom hardly feels any real pressure, and the IAEA position and that of its director, Rafael Grossi, remain «weak.»
The IAEA assured it is working with both sides to restore the plant’s access to external power supply as soon as possible, without specifying the need to reconnect it to Ukraine’s grid.
Grossi has failed to clearly condemn Russia, even though its management of the plant contradicts multiple principles of nuclear security defined by the United Nations agency itself, Omelchenko underlined to EFE.
Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Sybiga suggested earlier that the IAEA’s temporary management of the plant could become a temporary solution, yet such a scenario seems unrealistic.
Omelchenko and other experts noted that Moscow has no intention of relinquishing control over the plant, despite the earlier resolutions by the IAEA’s Board of Governors, which have urged Russia to hand it over to Ukraine on four occasions. EFE
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