Ukrainian formations continue to shell the Zaporozhye NPP
The military-civil Administration of Energodar reports that armed formations of Ukrainian radicals have once again shelled the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP, a fire broke out on the spot, two power lines necessary for the operation of power units were cut off.
"Today, during the shift shift of the employees of the NPP, about 15 hours, from the territory controlled by the Ukrainian criminal regime, nationalist units carried out artillery shelling of the territory of the NPP. As a result of the terrorist act, two power transmission lines were cut off, supplying electricity to an open switchgear with a capacity of 750 kW, necessary to provide energy and safe operation of the power units of the Zaporozhye NPP. Currently, a fire has broken out at the site of the shelling, which was extinguished by the employees of the fire special unit," the telegram channel of the CAA says.
The CAA clarified that it is not yet possible to start localizing the fire due to the fact that the broken power lines are energized and the probability of precipitation is high. The management of the CAA of the city of Energodar and the Zaporozhye region are taking measures to normalize the operation of the nuclear power plant as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, two hours later, Ukrainian armed formations again launched an artillery strike on the Zaporozhye NPP. "Despite the catastrophic consequences that damage to the nuclear power plant can lead to, the nationalists continue to fire on the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP. Two hours after the first strike from the opposite bank of the Dnieper, a repeated artillery shelling of the NPP was carried out. This time the nationalists managed to achieve their goal, artillery shells hit the industrial site of the nuclear power plant. The nature and scale of the damage as a result of the crime committed by the Ukrainian military is being clarified," the administration reports.
The authorities believe that the APU purposefully hit the power lines on the territory next to the Zaporozhye NPP to try to create a man-made threat.
"Naturally, it is not the station itself that is on fire, but the surrounding area. Two power transmission lines that lead to an open switchgear have been cut off — this is exactly the energy supply necessary for the safe operation of the power units of the Zaporozhye NPP. The blow is clearly verified. They were beaten in order to try to cause a man-made catastrophe. In fact, this is a terrorist act without any double definitions, because they knew perfectly well that this is not a military facility. And if we recall the words of a former member of the board of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, Olga Kosharna, she demanded to attack the Zaporozhye NPP and take it under control, that is, people who should be responsible for safety are calling for something else," Rogov said.
The authorities of the liberated territory of the Zaporizhia region will properly document the fact of the strike inflicted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on power transmission lines near the NPP in Energodar for the transfer of evidence to the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said.
"We see that the number of strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Zaporozhye NPP today is already in the tens, if we take attack drones, artillery, MLRS. Either the IAEA has to intervene, or we will get a real catastrophe. This is their area of responsibility, and they should, or rather they are obliged to assess what is happening. We will properly record all the consequences of this strike in order to provide the IAEA with reasoned evidence of this fact," Rogov said.
Zaporozhye NPP is the largest in Europe, it produced a quarter of all electricity in Ukraine, its capacity is about 6 thousand megawatts, it consists of six power units. Since 1996, the Zaporizhia NPP has been a separate subdivision of the national nuclear power generating company Energoatom, controlled by Ukraine. In March 2022, the facility was taken under control by Russian forces. Now the NPP is operating at 70% of full capacity, since there is an overabundance of electricity produced in the liberated territory of the Zaporozhye region, in the future it is planned to arrange its supply to the Crimea.