According to a statement issued on Thursday, Nov. 3 by Energoatom, the Ukrainian nuclear energy company, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine was using emergency diesel generators after being cut off from the Ukrainian power grid by fresh Russian bombardment. The plant has been occupied by invading Russian forces since the start of March.
According to Energoatom, shelling on Nov. 2 destroyed the very last remaining high-voltage lines that connected it to the Ukrainian power grid. The statement also said that Russia wanted to attach the plant to the its own grid and that it has enough fuel to keep its generators running for 15 days.
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Despite being turned off, the six reactors still require a steady stream of electricity to keep the nuclear fuel inside cool and avoid a potential catastrophe.
“Yesterday … the Zaporizhzhia NPP’s (nuclear power plant’s) last two high-voltage lines connecting it to the Ukrainian power system were damaged. At 11:04 p.m., the station went into full blackout mode. All 20 diesel generators were switched on,” the message on the plant’s Telegram channel noted.
“In the near future, they (Russia) will try to repair and connect the communication lines of the ZNPP in the direction of temporarily occupied Crimea and Donbas,” Energoatom underlined.
The plant has frequently had to run on emergency power ever since Russian forces occupied it.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November, 4, 2024
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