A high-voltage line at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was hit by Russian military forces shortly after power was restored to the plant, the power grid operator Ukrenergo said.
Ukraine has blamed the Russian military for the new power cut at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant north of Kiev, which has been occupied since the first days of the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian authorities had announced yesterday the restoration of power to the nuclear power plant, which needs electricity to maintain safety conditions at the radioactive waste storage sites.
"But, before the full restoration of the power supply, the occupation forces hit it again," the plant's operator Ukrenergo announced on Facebook."
Ukrenergo specifically states that its technicians repaired a high-voltage line that supplies electricity to the Chernobyl plant and the town of Slavutich. Since this line has been damaged again, according to the same source, it will be necessary for the technicians to return to repair the new damage.
For the time being, Moscow has not responded to the allegations. After the first blackout, Russia had denounced Ukrainian "provocation."
Reactor No.4 at the Chernobyl plant exploded in 1986, causing the worst nuclear disaster in the history of nuclear power. It is covered with a double sarcophagus. One level was built by the Soviets, showed cracks and was covered by modern construction inaugurated in 2019.
The station's three other reactors were gradually decommissioned, the last one in 2000.
An electrically powered cooling system must be in continuous operation to cool the spent radioactive fuel stored in the station's pool.
Given the time that has elapsed since the 1986 accident, "the thermal load of the pool and the volume of the cooling water are sufficient to ensure sufficient heat escape without electricity", the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on 9 March.
Source: protothema.gr
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