Securing an external power supply is a key step in ensuring the safety of any nuclear power plant. In the event of failure in electricity supply from the outside, a nuclear power plant has only one emergency source of power supply – diesel generators whose service life is determined by fuel reserves. The IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly emphasised the extreme importance of the reliability of a plant’s external energy supply.
Currently, electricity is supplied to Zaporozhye NPP via two high-voltage Ukrainian lines, which, as the events of recent weeks have shown, are regularly switched off, usually simultaneously. On more than one occasion, the shutdown of these lines has led Zaporozhye NPP to switch to its emergency diesel generators for power.
The solution to this problem would be to repair the high-voltage switchgear near Zaporozhye thermal power plant (TPP) that was destroyed due to shelling by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Previous attempts to repair the switchgear were halted due to shelling.
Taking into account the great importance of preserving energy supply for the safety of Zaporozhye NPP, especially in winter, we have decided to repair the switchgear at Zaporozhye TPP, despite the risks to the lives of personnel involved in this repair. Kiуv’s response will reveal the Ukrainian leadership’s real attitude to ensuring the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.