Russia fired at the substation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP: the station is at risk of blackout

On October 1, the Zaporizhzhia NPP, occupied by the Russians, was again on the verge of blackout. As a result of the Russian shelling of the main substation, one of the power lines of the station was cut off.

This was reported by the Ministry of Energy. The agency called the actions of the Russian Federation another act of nuclear terrorism.

“Another act of Russian terrorism has created a threat of an accident at the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP. We demand the immediate implementation of the IAEA resolution and the return of the occupied NPP to Ukrainian control. Safe operation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is possible only under the control of Ukraine,” the Minister of Energy noted.

It is noted that energy workers are already working to eliminate the consequences of shelling. The agency assures that experts are trying to restore full power to the occupied nuclear power plant as soon as possible.

We will remind you that not only the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, but also nuclear plants on the territory controlled by Ukraine have become the target of Russian attacks recently. In particular, during the most massive Russian attack on the Ukrainian energy sector on August 26, 4 NPP power units – at the Rivne and Yuzhno-Ukrainian power plants – were disconnected from the grid.

According to Olga Kosharnaya, an independent expert on nuclear energy and nuclear safety, the Russian Federation struck peripheral transformers near the NPP. This caused fluctuations in the power system, which forced the NPP to turn off part of the units.

Kosharna explained that if the Russian Federation had gotten to the transformers of the open distribution devices, the power units would have stopped normally, in the regular mode with emergency protection. But the Russians at one time designed such units, and then hit peripheral transformers, which, according to her, led to an emergency situation.

In this regard, the International Atomic Energy Agency expanded its monitoring mission in Ukraine. From September 2024, the agency’s specialists will monitor not only the situation at the NPP, but also at the substations located next to the nuclear plants. These objects are critically important for the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

“The presence of the IAEA monitoring mission at key power substations should become an additional factor in deterring Russia from strikes on transmission system facilities. The attention of the international community is a guarantee of our support in countering energy terror,” said the Acting Director. head of “Ukrenergo” Oleksiy Brecht.

According to Galushchenko, Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid could cause a radiation crisis at one of the three operating nuclear power plants if key power nodes are destroyed. Such actions can lead to uncontrolled emission of radiation, which threatens not only Ukraine, but also EU countries.