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The head of the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency says the situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine remains “dangerous” as it remains with only one main source of power.
In a release issued Wednesday, the IAEA said the last remaining 330 kilovolts of backup power to the nuclear facility, Europe’s largest, had remained disconnected and under repair since the breakdown on March 9.
The plant’s six reactors, which are currently shutting down, need external power to perform safety and security functions, such as cooling nuclear fuel.
The nuclear agency said the plant lost all external power on March 9, when the main 750-kilovolt power supply was cut off following reports of a missile attack in Ukraine. That forced the plant to rely on an emergency diesel generator. The channel was reconnected to the factory 11 hours after the power outage.
“IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Gross said the situation at the plant remains dangerous,” the release said.
The IAEA said the main power line could be taken down in the future for maintenance, but the agency said it had not been told when or for how long the line would be down.
“Nuclear safety at ZNPP remains in a precarious state,” Grossi said in a statement.
“If the disconnection of the main power line and the repair work is carried out when the 330 kV line is not available, it will cause a loss of power and will make the factory dependent on the diesel generator – the last line of defense – seven times. ,” said Grossi.
The factory was seized by Russian forces in March 2022.
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