On Thursday, Russia announced that the main power line supplying the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine had failed. Despite this, they assured there was no safety threat as the plant was now being supplied through a backup line.
Although the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is situated near the conflict front line, are not currently operational, the facility still requires external power to cool its nuclear material and avert a catastrophic accident.
Russian authorities, through their official Telegram channel, stated that the outage did not alter radiation levels and that an investigation into the cause was underway.
The main 750 kilovolt (kV) “Dniprovska” power line failed at 13:31 local time (10:31 GMT), and the plant is now powered by the 330 kV “Ferosplavnaya” line.
Previously, on March 22, the "Dniprovska" power line also experienced a nearly five-hour outage, underscoring the "ever-present dangers to nuclear safety and security" in the Russia-Ukraine war, as noted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other at various times of shelling the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is the largest in Europe.
The IAEA has highlighted that the ZNPP has faced significant off-site power issues since the conflict began in early 2022, heightening the nuclear safety and security risks at the site.
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