Russia fails to repair damaged equipment at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

This was reported by the press service of Energoatom.

According to Energoatom, Russia attempted to repair the shunt reactor of the PL-750kV Dniprovska power line, which they had damaged. This reactor is connected to one of the power lines supplying electricity from Ukrainian-controlled territory to meet the internal needs of the nuclear power plant.

Russia began "repairing" the reactor on November 23. Subsequently, they attempted to restart it twice, but both attempts resulted in the reactor shutting down due to longitudinal and transverse differential protection.

Energoatom emphasizes that all these actions were carried out by Russia without any approval or authorization from the Dispatch Control Center of the Ukrainian power grid. This constitutes a severe violation of regulatory and procedural documentation, which impacts and could lead to a total loss of power for the plant's own needs, potentially escalating into a nuclear or radiation accident.

"This once again demonstrates Russia’s inability not only to ensure the safe operation of equipment and perform timely maintenance but also its lack of qualified personnel to carry out repairs," Energoatom emphasized.

Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin stated that reports of equipment degradation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are received almost daily.

"The latest example also highlights the chaos persisting in the organization of work at the ZNPP. The Russians have turned it into a military base, and nuclear and radiation safety is being managed by incompetent individuals. All of this leads to uncontrolled incidents that could significantly impact the safety of the plant," Kotin noted.

• On Friday, December 20, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP was nearly plunged into a blackout. Russian shelling disconnected one of the two power lines linking the plant to Ukraine's power system.