News | Ukraine announced the closure of the last operating reactor at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

By La Provence (with AFP)

Ukraine announced on Sunday the shutdown of the sixth and last reactor at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (south), the largest in Europe and occupied by Russian forces.

“Today, September 11, 2022, at 03:41 PM (01:41 GMT) unit number 6 (of the power station) was disconnected from the power network”According to a statement from the Ukrainian operator Energoatom. “Preparations are underway for its cooling”, Adds director. According to Energoatom, creates a cold shutdown “safe mode” It took three days for the reactor to generate enough electricity to cool the nuclear fuel and protect the site.

The decision was made to close the site while external power was restored.”last night” along one of the transmission lines. “In the event of further damage to the transmission lines connecting the site to the power system – the risk of which is high – internal needs (of the site) will have to be met by diesel-powered generators”, Energotum warns. In its press release, Energoatom reiterates its call for the establishment of a demilitarized zone around the plant, which according to the operator is the only way to ensure its safety.

Ukraine and its allies have expressed growing concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhia plant. For weeks, there has been confusion surrounding the site of the power plant, which has been hit by several strikes, in which Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other. On Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a “Total water and electricity blackout“In the Ukrainian city of Enerkodar (South), the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is located, which is “Affects safety of operations“.

“This is completely unacceptable. This cannot continue.“, the director-general of this UN agency, Rafael Croci, announced in a press release,”Cease shelling in the area immediately”.