Russia cuts power grid at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant... Fears of a second 'Chernobyl' disaster

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant Power Grid Replacement Proceeded
Insufficient Power for Nuclear Cooling...Concerns of Reactor Core Meltdown
IAEA Urges Russia for Nuclear Inspection, Citing "Risk of Nuclear Accident"

On the 24th (local time), a fire broke out near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia, with smoke rising. Enerhodar, Ukraine ? Reuters / Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The international community's concerns are growing as Russia pushes ahead with replacing the power grid at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently under its occupation. It is known that if the reckless power grid replacement continues, there is an increased risk of the reactor exploding or a large-scale radioactive leak occurring due to the cooling facilities stopping. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also warned of a high risk of a nuclear accident and demanded that Russia promptly allow nuclear inspections.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 25th (local time), Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine cut off the existing power grid connected to the plant on that day. It is also reported that the Russian military shut down 2 of the 6 reactors within the Zaporizhzhia plant. As a result, a large-scale power outage occurred throughout southern Ukraine for a day.

Energoatom, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power company, stated via Telegram, "The Russian military has completely disconnected the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the power grid, which is unprecedented in the history of nuclear power plants," adding, "We are drawing power from other regions to resolve the blackout issue." The Zaporizhzhia plant accounts for more than 20% of Ukraine's total power production, and most of the southern region receives electricity from here.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to CNN, since occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in early March, Russian forces have attempted to replace the power grid with one connected to the Crimean Peninsula, which was forcibly annexed in 2014. The purpose is to cut off the power grid connected to adjacent Ukrainian areas to cause power shortages while ensuring stable power supply to the strategically important Crimean Peninsula under their control.

However, the forced power grid replacement has made it difficult to supply the power necessary for operations such as cooling within the plant, increasing the risk of a major accident. Petro Kotin, CEO of Energoatom, warned in an interview with the UK Guardian, "There are emergency generators inside the plant, but the entire plant can only produce power to last about 1 hour and 30 minutes," adding, "If Russia continues to force the power grid replacement and the power supply is completely cut off, the cooling system will stop, and the reactor will melt down, causing a very dangerous accident."

If the reactor's cooling function stops and the reactor core melts down, there is a risk of the plant exploding or a large-scale radioactive leak occurring. Earlier in March, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an international nuclear science journal, warned that even if radioactive leakage occurs from just one of the six reactors at Zaporizhzhia, more than 7 million residents in five neighboring countries could be affected.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

There is also a possibility that radioactive fallout damage could spread throughout Europe, similar to the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. According to the BBC, radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl explosion reached Sweden within a day and caused fallout damage across Europe within 2 to 3 days. Belarus, the neighboring country most severely affected, is still known to have about 20% of its farmland with high radiation levels, making it inaccessible to people.

As the risk of an accident at the Zaporizhzhia plant increases, the IAEA has demanded prompt inspections from Russia and entered negotiations. Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, emphasized at a press conference that day, "There is a risk of a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia plant, and we must inspect the site as soon as possible," adding, "We are demanding that Russia approve the inspection, and the talks are very close to success."

The U.S. government also strongly criticized Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized during a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that day, "Russia must promptly return control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine and allow IAEA inspections."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.