The power line to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster has been damaged again by Russian forces after repairs over the weekend, according to Ukraine’s state power company.
Ukrenergo, the nation’s power provider, said in a statement on Monday that power was repaired on Sunday evening after damages but that “before the power supply was fully restored, the occupying forces damaged it again,” according to the Associated Press. The company is currently working on repairs once again.
The site’s power line is used to operate equipment at the former nuclear power plant to prevent radiation leaks. The location is equipped with diesel generators that can be used during power emergencies. In addition, the AP noted Belarus has an emergency power supply running from its nearby border.
Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company Energoatom said last week that the used fuel assemblies at the plant could not be cooled due to the power outage from a severed power connection, which had not yet been repaired due to fighting in the area. The Daily Wire previously reported:
Energoatom stated that if the fuel assemblies are not cooled, it would trigger “the release of radioactive substances into the environment. The radioactive cloud could be carried by wind to other regions of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe,” Reuters reported, adding, “The IAEA had warned on Tuesday that the systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl had stopped transmitting data.”
But the U.N. nuclear watchdog countered Wednesday, “Heat load of spent fuel storage pool and volume of cooling water at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sufficient for effective heat removal without need for electrical supply.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo said, “Because of military actions of Russian occupiers the nuclear power plant in Chornobyl was fully disconnected from the power grid. Nuclear station has no power supply.”
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba unleashed strong words against Russia following the previous power outage.
“The only electrical grid supplying the Chornobyl NPP and all its nuclear facilities occupied by Russian army is damaged. CNPP lost all electric supply. I call on the international community to urgently demand Russia to cease fire and allow repair units to restore power supply,” he claimed.
“Reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chornobyl NPP. After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent. Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately!” Kuleba added.
Reserve diesel generators have a 48-hour capacity to power the Chornobyl NPP. After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent. Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately! 2/2
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 9, 2022
The Chernobyl site was taken over by Russian forces early in its invasion of Ukraine, leading to widespread fears as many were reminded of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, the largest nuclear power plant accident in history.
“After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost. The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown,” Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the Chernobyl plant, reportedly stated following the location’s fall to Russian forces.
Ugh. Awful development. "After a fierce battle, Ukrainian control over the Chernobyl site was lost. The condition of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement, and nuclear waste storage facilities is unknown," said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to head of Chernobyl plant
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022