Russian invaders plan to connect Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant to Crimea and Donbas
Plant running on emergency generators after shelling cut last external power line (Photo:Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo/Reuters)
Russian invaders will soon attempt to use Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to supply the Russian-occupied areas of the Donbas and Ukraine’s Russian occupied Crimea, Ukrainian nuclear energy regulator Energoatom said on Telegram on Nov. 3.
According to the regulator's data, the shelling of the plant on Nov. 2 that damaged two last lines connecting the ZNPP to Ukrainian grid was part of the latest Russian attempt to connect the nuclear plant to the Russian energy system.
"In the near future they'll try to repair damage and reconnect the facility to supply power to the occupied areas of Crimea and Donbas," the Energoatom message reads.
On Nov. 2 Russian shelling cut off the external power supply to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. A full power-off mode was activated at 11:04 p.m., and all 20 diesel generators providing emergency backup power to the plant were activated.
Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was captured by Russia on March 4. The plant has been damaged multiple times by Russian attacks, and the its staff have been held hostage.
Russian troops set up firing positions at the the nuclear plant and have regularly shelled Ukrainian cities from them. Ukrainian nuclear energy regulator Energoatom reported that the Russian military placed more than a dozen pieces of military equipment, including ammunition, weapons, and explosives in the turbine hall of the first reactor of the plant.
In total, more than 40 units of Russian military equipment and more than 500 troops have been placed on the grounds of the facility.
Director General Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the nuclear plant; the negotiations are still in progress.
Currently, there are two representatives of the IAEA mission at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, and the agency plans to double this number.
Plant staff now face “unacceptable pressure” to sign contracts with the Russian state nuclear company, Rosatom, or lose their jobs.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
