Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses power again, but still on reserve line – National

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant once more misplaced connection to the final remaining most important exterior energy line however continues to produce electrical energy to the grid by a reserve line, the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) stated on Saturday.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s consultants now stationed on the plant had been instructed by Ukrainian workers that the positioning’s fourth operational 750 Kilovolt energy line was down after three others had been misplaced earlier, it stated in a press release on its web site.

However IAEA consultants additionally discovered {that a} reserve line linking the power to a close-by thermal energy plant was delivering electrical energy to the exterior grid.

This reserve line also can present backup energy to the ZNPP if wanted, it stated.

Zaporizhzhia, with six reactors, is Europe’s largest nuclear energy station. The station has been managed by Russian troops since quickly after their invasion of Ukraine in late February and has change into one of many focal factors of the battle, with either side blaming the opposite for shelling across the plant.

“One reactor continues to be working and producing electrical energy each for cooling and different important security features on the website and for households, factories and others by the grid,” the IAEA stated.

An IAEA mission, led by the company’s director common Rafael Grossi, toured the plant on Thursday and a few consultants have remained there pending the discharge of a report on its operations.

Transmission traces to the plant had been minimize final week and the power was minimize off from the nationwide grid for the primary time in its historical past, prompting energy cuts in numerous areas of Ukraine. However emergency mills kicked in to supply energy wanted for important cooling processes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy blamed Russian shelling for the cutoff and stated a radiation leak had narrowly been prevented.

Russia’s defence ministry stated on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had tried to seize the Zaporizhzhia plant in an assault on the power on Friday night time — the second such allegation in as many days.

Reuters couldn’t affirm any particulars of the Russian accusations.