A spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's intelligence division, Andrei Yusov, said on Telegram that Russian forces had laid mines at the plant’s power units.īoth Energoatom and the IAEA have also warned that stressed workers could unwittingly make mistakes due to the psychological impact of the conflict and working conditions under Russian occupation. Shelling near one of the plant's six reactors caused "extensive smoke" and "several radiation sensors are damaged," according to Energoatom. Some damage has already been caused a power station has been struck near where radioactive materials are stored. Why is military activity around the ZNPP dangerous? The energy agency said its workers are still operating the Zaporizhzhia plant, despite being under Russian occupation since March.Īccording to a post on Energoatom’s Telegram account, the plant is operating with the risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards, and it claimed periodic shelling by Russian troops with anti-aircraft missiles caused a serious risk to the safe operation of the plant.īoth the Russians and Ukrainians said radiation levels at the plant were normal. This means the radioactive material is well protected." A view of the Chernobyl plantĪll four nuclear power plants in Ukraine are operated by a state company – Energoatom. "As such I don't believe there would be a high chance of a breach of the containment building from the outside - even if it was hit by an explosive shell and, even less likely, the reactor itself could be damaged by such. "The reactor is housed inside a heavily reinforced steel and concrete building that is designed to protect against natural disasters and-or man-made incidents, such as aircraft crashes or reactor accidents. "The VVER-1000 is a relatively modern and robust reactor design," Professor Scott said. However, he said a VVER reactor is made of materials such as concrete and stainless steel, which could not catch fire or burn like graphite, even at high temperatures and hence a Chernobyl-level incident simply couldn't happen at Zaporizhzhia. Tom Scott, Professor in Materials at Bristol University, explained that when Chernobyl Unit 4 exploded in April 1986, the graphite caught fire and burnt for two weeks, releasing substantial amounts of radioactivity. It uses water in the reactor core to slow down (moderate) the neutrons needed to drive and control the fission reactions taking place.īy comparison, the Chernobyl reactors used graphite as the moderator material. It is a light water reactor known as a VVER-1000. Zaporizhzhia is a different type of reactor to Chernobyl, made from different materials. Over the years, it has produced more than 1.1 trillion kWh of electricity. Pre-invasion, the ZNPP produced one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity and almost half the energy generated by the country's nuclear power facilities. The six reactors in Zaporizhzhia were brought online between 19. In 1977, the USSR Council of Ministers decided to build the facility under a unified project of nuclear power plants with a VVER-1000 reactor. It is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe, and the ninth largest in the world. Zaporizhzhia NPP was the first nuclear power plant built in Ukraine. What do we know about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned a "catastrophe" at the Russian-controlled facility would threaten the whole of Europe. Kyiv says Russian troops struck it themselves and are also using the plant as a shield to provide cover while they bombard nearby Ukrainian-held towns and cities. Volodymyr Zelensky warned that a 'catastrophe' at the Russian-controlled facility would threaten the whole of Europe Moscow says Ukraine is recklessly firing at the plant. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grozzi said based on information provided by Ukraine, systems important for nuclear safety and security had not been affected, but that could change at any moment, warning of disaster if the fighting does not stop. Last Thursday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on both Russia and Ukraine to halt all fighting near the plant, warning it could lead to catastrophic consequences. Nuclear experts fear fighting might damage the plant's spent fuel pools or the reactors. Shelling near Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine has alarmed the international community over the potential threat of a nuclear disaster.Ĭoncerns were first raised when Russia took control of the Zaporizhzhia facility in March, but more recently, recurring shelling around the facility for nearly two weeks has sparked calls for an immediate ceasefire in the area.
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