Russia shells Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant again... "Emergency generators operating"

Russian Troops Guarding Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] Ukraine announced on the 8th (local time) that Russia has once again shelled the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, causing the plant to rely on emergency power generation.

According to major foreign media, Energoatom, the Ukrainian state-owned company operating the Zaporizhzhia plant, stated that the connection between the plant and external power sources was severed due to Russian shelling on the morning of the same day.

The plant is currently receiving necessary power from emergency diesel generators. Energoatom explained, "The diesel generators started automatically" and "there is enough fuel for about ten days of emergency power generation."

The plant requires power to cool the reactor and spent fuel; if this power supply is not properly maintained, reactor overheating can cause a meltdown of the nuclear fuel rod bundles, leading to a serious accident involving the leakage of radioactive materials.

Currently, the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia plant have been shut down due to concerns over shelling damage, but power is still needed to perform minimum safety functions. This time, power supply disruptions occurred again due to renewed shelling.

On the 6th, the power lines at the Zaporizhzhia plant were also cut by shelling, triggering the emergency power system. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited Ukraine the day before to discuss establishing a safety zone around the plant and is scheduled to visit Russia early next week.

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