Russia’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has shut down operations as a safety measure, according to a statement on Sunday from Energoatom, the state agency in charge of the plant.
The plant was “completely shut down” after Energoatom disconnected power unit 6 from the grid around 3:40 a.m., the statement said.
“Preparations are being made to refrigerate and transport it in a cold state,” the agency said.
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(file photo) Russia’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has shut down operations as a safety measure, according to a statement Sunday from Energoatom, the state agency in charge of the plant.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, urged residents of Russian-held areas around the plant to evacuate for security reasons.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of bombing the nuclear plant and risking a nuclear disaster.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the surrounding area to be demilitarized.
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(file photo) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the surrounding area to be demilitarized. ((AP Photo/Markus Schreiber))
Energoatom said it restored a communications line in the power system to operational capacity on Saturday. The agency said the line had been damaged by Russian bombing, which allowed the plant to be powered by Ukraine’s energy system.
“Therefore, a decision was made to shut down power unit No. 6 and transfer it to the safest state – cold shutdown,” Energoatom said.
The agency said the risk of further damage to the line “remains high.”
(file photo) Energoatom said it restored a communications line in the power system to operational capacity on Saturday.
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This would force the plant to be “powered by diesel generators, the duration of which is limited by the technological resource and the amount of diesel fuel available,” the agency explained.
Reuters contributed to this report.
