Russia plans to disconnect Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant from Ukraine power grid

According to a media report on Aug 24th, detailed plans have been designated by Russia to implement a complete disconnection of the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, from the power grid of Ukraine, leading to the possible hazards of catastrophic failure of its cooling system.

 In an interview, Petro Kotin, the head of Ukrainian Atomic Energy Corporation, said Russian engineers have laid out a blueprint for a switch, citing contingency plans in case the remaining power connections are cut off in a battle. He expressed his concerns that the Russian military aimed at these connections to turn the emergency scheme a reality.

 In the previous weeks, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was hit by artillery fire, damaging a dry storage facility and radiation monitoring detectors. Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of bombarding the connections. Other risks to the nuclear safety of the Zaporizhzhia include vehicles closely piled up in the turbine hall, firefighters hard to reach them in the event of a fire, and posed serious threats to the lives of workers who choose to stay at the plant.

 Kotin said that the electrical connections in the plant were in critical condition. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could only rely on a spare diesel-powered generator during the transition between grid systems. If the generator is malfunctioning, it could lead to dangerous temperatures in the reactors after 90 minutes without power.