As previously warned by Energoatom and the Ukrainian Regulator, incorrect, erroneous, and often deliberately risky operation of the equipment and operating modes of ZNPP reactor units, in particular at power unit 4, can lead to catastrophic consequences. This is especially dangerous with constant risks of power outages and blackouts at the power plant.
Last night, the occupationists almost ended up in a bad way. Two power transmission lines "Zaporizhzhia NPP — Dniprovska" and "Zaporizhzhia TPP — Ferosplavna", which fed the plant from the Ukrainian power system, were cut off and left without power. Due to a full blackout, the nuclear power plant switched to powering in-house needs from 20 diesel generators. Later, 8 of them continued operating.
The greatest threat to safety in this state exists at power unit 4 and is caused by the fact that the occupationists continue to keep it in a hot shutdown state, contrary to the terms of the operating licence for the reac-tor facilities granted by Ukrainian nuclear and radiation safety regulatory body – SNRIU. NPP blackout accident leads to loss of power supply of the reactor coolant pumps which cool the core. Such a mode is difficult for the reactor facility, its duration is limited by the design, and an urgent moving of the unit to a cold shutdown state it required.
The prompt actions of Ukrainian specialists, who restored the power supply to the plant from the Ukrainian energy system, actually salvaged the situation.According to President of Energoatom Petro Kotin, last night ZNPP was on the verge of a nuclear and radiation accident. At the same time, a significant risk remains. Several technical measures should be carried out urgently at ZNPP to ensure the restoration of the design power supply for the plant's in-house needs.
«We understand that the occupationists are not interested in safety at ZNPP. For almost 2 years of occupation, they did not manage to build an ordinary auxiliary boiler for steam generating, which exists at any other nuclear plant. Instead, contrary to the norms and rules of nuclear and radiation safety, they continue to keep ZNPP power unit 4 in a hot shutdown state, operating the reactor plant and complex energy facility in the beyond-design mode of a usual boiler for steam generation. We understand that they will continue to create dangerous situations, by blackmailing the whole world with a nuclear and radiation accident,» said Petro Kotin.
