Ukraine’s state power operator Energoatom earlier said Russian forces have disconnected the nuclear power station – which does not have any reactors in commercial operation – from the grid. The state-run company said a high-voltage line had been damaged by Russian forces and had been disconnected.
As a result, the Chernobyl station and all nuclear facilities in the exclusion zone were left without electricity, Energoatom said, warning that the situation could lead to the release of radioactive substances.
Energoatom said the loss of power “makes it impossible to control the parameters of nuclear and radiation safety at the plant”. Energy minister Herman Halushchenko confirmed safety data was no longer being received from the plant.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator SNRIU said safety and security parameters at Chernobyl were normal, but several neutron flux, gamma radiation dose rate and radiation pollution sensors at the New Safe Confinement (NSC) shelter failed, making it impossible to control a number of radiation parameters, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator SNRIU said.
Neutron flux is a measure of the intensity of neutron radiation. The gamma radiation dose rate is a measure of radiation dose intensity for gamma radiation, high exposure to which can cause acute health effects.
The facilities at Chernobyl include the shut-down Units 1, 2, and 3, the destroyed Unit 4 from the 1986 accident and two recently constructed spent nuclear fuel storage facilities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on social media that Ukraine had confirmed the power loss at Chernobyl. The agency said the development violates a key safety pillar on ensuring uninterrupted power supply.
It added, however, that it sees no critical impact on safety. The agency said that due to time elapsed since the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the heat load of the spent fuel storage pool and the volume of cooling water contained in the pool is sufficient to maintain effective heat removal without the need for electrical supply.
Power company Ukrenergo said emergency diesel generators have been switched on at the site to provide power to safety-critical systems. It said the stock of diesel fuel will be enough for 48 hours. Ukrenergo said hostilities in the region make it impossible to carry out the repairs needed to restore full energy supply.
The New Safe Confinement shelter, which covers the destroyed reactor number four at Chernobyl.
According to Energoatom, about 20,000 spent fuel assemblies are stored at Chernobyl’s spent nuclear fuel storage facility and need constant cooling. Without electricity for cooling, the temperature of spent nuclear fuel pools will increase with the possibility of radioactive releases.
Sweden’s nuclear regulator SSM said it had received information about power outages at Chernobyl, but said the outages will not lead to any radioactive releases in the immediate future and the power outage today “does not have any radiation safety consequences for humans or the environment, either in Ukraine or in Sweden”.
However, SSM said if the power outage lasts for more than two weeks, the cooling of spent fuel pools will need to be solved “in another way”.
Meanwhile, James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said on social media that while the loss of power at the site was concerning, “mitigations should be straightforward”.
Russian forces took control of all facilities at Chernobyl last week. No casualties or destruction have been reported.
While increased levels of radiation were initially measured at the site, probably due to the movement of heavy military vehicles disturbing the soil, the International Atomic Energy Agency assessed that they remained low enough not to pose a hazard to the public.
IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said it is of utmost importance that the staff working at Chernobyl are able to do their job safely and effectively and that their personal wellbeing is guaranteed.
He confirmed he had received a letter from SNRIU asking for the agency to extend immediate assistance to ensure the safety of Chernobyl and other nuclear facilities in the country. “I am conducting consultations in order to address this request for assistance,” he said.
Mr Grossi also offered to travel himself to the Chernobyl exclusion zone, or anywhere, to negotiate with the Ukrainians and the Russians on a framework to uphold the principles of nuclear safety and protection of nuclear installations.
