ZNPP loses power from main line, on verge of blackout - Energoatom

On the night of August 10, Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), temporarily seized by Russian troops, lost power from the main 750 kV external power line.

Energoatom reported this, Ukrinform saw.

After that, ZNPP had to switch to the only available backup line of 330 kV, the disconnection of which threatens ZNPP to lose external power (blackout), the report says.

"In this scenario, the main threat to nuclear and radiation safety is posed by the fact that Zaporizhzhia NPP unit 4 is in a hot shutdown state. The occupiers operate unit 4 in violation of the terms of operating NPP reactor units," Energoatom emphasized.

According to Taras Tkach, acting executive director of Energoatom, in case of a complete loss of external power, the main circulation pumps of the plant will be turned off and the power unit will switch to the "natural circulation" mode.

"In this case, it is necessary to urgently cool it down in the absence of cooling pumps," Tkach said.

Such a mode is difficult for the reactor, its duration is limited by the design, and it can lead to a failure of the power unit’s main equipment.

As the company emphasized, "the further occupation of ZNPP by Russia and illegitimate and unprepared Russian management, which bears no responsibility for the nuclear and radiation safety of the facility, constantly brings ZNPP closer to disaster. That is why Zaporizhzhia NPP must be immediately returned under the full control of the legitimate operator, Energoatom, with the subsequent return of the plant to normal operation and restoration of nuclear and radiation safety of the facility. This requires urgent action by the entire international community."

"Russia's nuclear terrorism must be stopped immediately, and the invaders must leave the territory of the plant and its satellite city of Enerhodar," Energoatom emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported, the Russians seized ZNPP on March 4, 2022.