Ukraine’s nuclear agency announced that it has placed the last operating reactor at the Zaporizhia plant, the largest in Europe, on a “cold shutdown,” a safety measure in the face of catastrophic flooding caused by the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, while the war Russian in Ukraine is moving towards its 16th month.
Russian forces continued to attack the country with missiles and drones overnight, with Ukrainian authorities reporting at least four deaths and damage to a military airfield.
Five of the six reactors at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant were already in a cold shutdown, a mechanism whereby all control rods are inserted into the reactor core to slow down the nuclear fission reaction and the generation of heat and pressure.
Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear agency, said in a statement late Friday that the plant is not “directly threatened” by the breach of the Kakhovka dam further down the Dnieper river, forcing thousands of people to flee. fleeing the floods and drastically reduced the water level in the reservoir used to help cool the plant.
The last reactor was put into a cold shutdown on Thursday, Energoatom said, noting that among the factors influencing the decision were shelling near the facility, which has damaged the wiring connecting the plant to the Ukrainian power system.
With all nuclear reactions stopped, the temperature and pressure inside the reactors gradually decrease, reducing the amount of water cooling required for the radioactive fuel. This is the safest mode of operation of a nuclear power plant. Energoatom employees continue to work at the plant, although it remains controlled by Russian forces.
The site’s power units have not been operational since September of last year. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, is scheduled to visit Ukraine in the coming days.
Both analysts and Russia say that Ukraine has launched a counter-offensive in the south that could try to retake territories near the power station.
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