IAEA: all reactors of the occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP shut down
In this mode, the plant consumes less water, which was lacking after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam
The International Atomic Energy Agency has issued a statement in connection with the transfer of the fourth power unit of the occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP, the last of six, to cold shutdown mode.
This state was achieved for the first time since the end of 2022. The fourth power unit entered this operating mode at 07:30 am on Saturday, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted that the organisation had been recommending that the reactors be kept in this state for some time, but the switching of the fourth power unit began after the city of Enerhodar, where most of the plant's employees live, completed the winter heating season.
ZNPP has not been supplying electricity to the Ukrainian grid since September 2022, but has kept one of its reactors in hot shutdown mode to heat local communities and treat steam from liquid radioactive waste, the IAEA said in a statement. The latter was no longer needed after the installation of diesel steam generators.
The statement noted that in the cold shutdown state, in the event of a heat removal interruption, a reserve of several days is maintained before urgent action is required.
In addition, in this mode, the plant consumes less water, which was in short supply after the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam.
Background. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing its sources, that Vladimir Putin personally shared with the IAEA leadership plans to restart at least one of the ZNPP reactors.
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