Khmelnytskyi NPP reduces generation capacity due to Russian shelling

Ukrainian nuclear power plants, including the Khmelnytskyi NPP, were forced to reduce their generation capacity due to a massive Russian attack on December 23.

The units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP are currently unloaded. This will continue until all lines connecting the Khmelnytskyi NPP with consumers are restored. It is not yet known how long this will take, said energy expert Gennady Ryabtsev.

It is necessary for energy engineers to gain access to diagnose damage at the relevant facilities. After the energy engineers determine what is actually damaged there, they can act either by using backup lines, if the damage is significant, or restore the main line and then gradually load the reactors, the expert said.

According to him, emergency shutdowns will be in effect during the diagnostics. After determining the extent of the damage and establishing the period during which they will be repaired, hourly power outage schedules will be introduced.

“The operation of both main power transmission lines and substations will be restored. The power was reduced normally, that is, these are not some non-design modes, this is not an emergency situation, everything at the Khmelnytskyi NPP was carried out well and without any dangers to the environment and people living nearby.”