Yesterday's Russian missile strikes temporarily knocked out several power units at two Ukrainian nuclear power plants

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Khmelnitsky and Rivne NPPs temporarily de-energised due to Russian missile attack
uatom.org
22:15, 16.11.2022

Khmelnytskyi stopped both and Rivne stopped one of its four units due to loss of network access after the Russian attacks.



An IAEA statement said:

Khmelnitsky NPP's connection to the power grid was interrupted at 6:35 p.m. The two operating reactors were shut down for two and a half hours due to damage to the transmission lines that bring power to the plant.

The Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant, during the period of damage, temporarily switched to diesel generators as a backup source of energy.

The International Atomic Energy Agency released the information on Wednesday, citing information from the Ukrainian authorities.

The IAEA notes that another nuclear power plant, also in western Ukraine, the Rivne NPP (RAES), lost contact with one of its 750kV transmission lines on 15 November afternoon. As a result, the plant reduced capacity and one of its four units automatically shut down.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said:

"This was a very worrying event. It shows the potential nuclear safety risks faced by all nuclear facilities in Ukraine during this terrible war, not just Zaporizhzhia NPP. While the external power supply to Khmelnitsky NPP has now been restored, yesterday's power outage clearly demonstrates that the nuclear safety and security situation in Ukraine could suddenly worsen, increasing the risk of a nuclear emergency.

Grossi also recalled that the IAEA is going to visit KNPP and RAIPP in the near future as part of its ongoing assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to maintain nuclear safety and prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict.

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Oleg Kotov

Oleg Kotov writes about the war in Ukraine and how it is changing the world.