Ukraine’s nuclear power plant stops operation

Operations at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine have been fully stopped as a safety measure.

According to a statement by Energoatom, the state agency in charge of the plant on Sunday, the plant was completely stopped after the agency disconnected the number 6 power unit from the grid at 3:41 a.m. (0041 GMT).

Energoatom said it restored a communications line to the power system to operational capacity on Saturday.

It said the communication line had been damaged by Russian shelling, allowing the plant to be powered by Ukraine’s energy system.

Also Read: IAEA calls for safety zone around Ukraine’s nuclear plant

“Therefore, a decision was made to shut down power unit No. 6 and transfer it to the safest state – cold shutdown,” it said.

Risk of further damage

It said the risk of further damage to the line remains high, which would force the plant to be powered by diesel generators, the duration of which is limited by the technical resource and the amount of available diesel fuel.

“Preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state.” The agency said.

Kyiv on Wednesday called for residents of Russian-occupied areas around the plant, Europe’s largest, to evacuate for their own safety.

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear plant, risking a nuclear disaster.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the surrounding area to be demilitarized.

Zainab Sa’id