The giant Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been completely disconnected from the Ukrainian grid for the first time ever.
The power station, which is currently occupied by Russian forces and being used as a storehouse for some of their heavy weapons, had to be disconnected from the Ukrainian grid after nearby fires interfered with power lines, according to a report from Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom.
The Energoatom statement added that fires have broken out out in the ash pits of a coal power station close to Zaporizhzhia reactor complex, threatening power lines connecting the nuclear plant to the grid.
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"As a result, the station's two working power units were disconnected from the network," Energoatom said.
"Thus the actions of the invaders caused a complete disconnection of the (nuclear power plant) from the power grid – the first in the history of the plant”.
Disconnecting the plant from the grid is potentially very dangerous because it raises the risk of catastrophic failure of the cooling systems for its reactors and spent fuel rods.
Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest nuclear power station, and has been occupied by Russian forces since the earliest days of the war.
Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for multiple artillery and rocket strikes near the site, any one of which has the potential to trigger a major nuclear accident that would dwarf the disaster at Chernobyl.
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Rafael Grossi, director-general of the UN-backed International Atomic Energy Agency, has been lobbying for months for an international team to inspect the site.
He said on Thursday that officials are "very, very close" to being able to visit Zaporozhzhia.
Earlier this month he issued a statement expressing his grave worries about the situation at the plant.
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He said: “I’m extremely concerned by the shelling yesterday at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which underlines the very real risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond.
“According to Ukraine, there has been no damage to the reactors themselves and no radiological release. However, there is damage elsewhere on the site”
He added that military action in and around the Zaporizhzya nuclear power plant is “completely unacceptable and must be avoided at all costs”
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