13 September 2022, Tuesday, 11:06 616

IAEA announces restoration of 2nd backup power supply line to Zaporizhzhia NPP

Редактор: Roman Vaniyan

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced the restoration of the second backup transmission line connecting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region) to the Ukrainian power grid.

This follows from a statement by the IAEA, the Ukrainian News agency reports.

"A second backup transmission line to the Zaporizhzhia NPP in Ukraine has been restored, allowing the operator to keep one line in reserve while the other provides the plant with external power needed for reactor cooling and other important safety functions during operation. Another development, critical to nuclear safety at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, is that the reactor unit that was shut down yesterday has now entered a "cold shutdown" state, along with the site's five other reactors, meaning that less energy is needed for cooling," the report says.

The 750/330 kV line used to provide the plant with the power required for its safety functions has also been restored, with the restored 330 kV line in reserve.

In turn, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized that the nuclear safety situation at the plant remains unstable, all four main external transmission lines of the Zaporizhzhia NPP are de-energized, and it does not provide electricity to households, factories, and other facilities.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on September 12, the IAEA announced the restoration of backup power supply to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On September 7, Petro Kotin, the president of the Energoatom national nuclear energy generating company, announced that one power unit is operating at the Zaporizhzhia NPP in "island" mode (to meet the NPP's own needs).

He emphasized that due to the shelling, all the lines of external connection of the Zaporizhzhia NPP with the energy grid of Ukraine were damaged - these are four lines through which the power plant in normal mode delivers its power to the energy grid of Ukraine; three lines that provide backup power for the plant's own needs were also damaged.