Following military activities by Russian troops that invaded Ukraine beginning on February 24, Ukraine’s national power company, Ukrenergo, has confirmed that the Chornobyl Nuclear Electricity Plant is no longer linked to the power grid. The city of Slavutich has also been devastated, with thousands of people without power. “The nuclear power plant at Chornobyl was completely unplugged from the electricity system as a result of military activities by Russian troops. There is no power supply at the nuclear power plant. Because military operations are ongoing, there is no way to repair the lines. Slavutich city is also without electricity, according to Ukrenergo’s Facebook page.
This study is the latest in a string of alarming developments affecting the power plant, which was the site of the 1986 meltdown. According to the Kyiv Independent and New Scientist, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost communication with safeguards monitoring equipment at Chornobyl.
The IAEA has also requested that Russia allow for the rotation of some of the 210 technical workers and guards who have stayed at the facility for the past 13 days in order to keep it secure. Food, water, and medication are few, and the situation looks to be deteriorating. “I am profoundly worried about the tough and stressful circumstances in which workers at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant find themselves, as well as the possible threats this poses to nuclear safety.” In a statement, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated, “I call on the troops in effective control of the site to expedite the safe rotation of people there.”
The power facility is known in the West as Chernobyl, which is a romanization of the Russian word. Chornobyl is the romanization of the Ukrainian spelling; we used this spelling throughout the text to match the sources.
Ukraine told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that rotating some 210 technical personnel and guards who have been working at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) since Russian forces took control of the site almost two weeks ago was becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the plant, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. In contrast to the current situation for staff at Ukraine’s operational nuclear power plants, the same shift has been on duty at the Chornobyl NPP since the day before the Russian military entered the 1986 accident site on February 24, effectively living there for the past 13 days, according to the regulator.
The Ukrainian regulator also stated that the personnel had restricted access to food, water, and medicine. However, the situation for the employees was deteriorating. It urged the IAEA to coordinate international assistance in developing a strategy for replacing present workers and establishing an efficient rotation system for the facility. Staff managing nuclear sites, according to Director General Grossi, must be allowed to rest and work in regular shifts, which is critical for overall nuclear safety.
Their ability to make choices free of undue pressure is one of the seven essential pillars of nuclear safety and security he stated at an IAEA Board of Governors meeting on 2 March, which was held to discuss the safety, security, and safeguards implications of the situation in Ukraine.
