Ukrainian authorities are blaming Russia for the recent power cut-off at the Chernobyl power plant and warn that Moscow's continued attacks could lead to "nuclear discharge."
The problem arises due to the fact that, unlike an operating power plant that generates electricity by itself, the Chernobyl plant is completely dependent on outside sources of energy. This means that a power cut could cause severe problems.
Chernobyl Power Plant
The Chernobyl plant is where the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the world occurred when one of its four reactors exploded and burned 36 years ago. The plant operates primarily from the power produced by diesel generators.
A former longtime employee of the power plant who knew of the conditions said that some of the equipment was still functioning on battery power. The former official added that some firefighting systems and radiation monitoring systems have been affected by the power cut, as per the New York Times.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a UN-backed global nuclear watchdog agency, downplayed concerns of an imminent radioactive release. However, a Ukrainian national emergency services agency said that if the cooling systems of the plant lost power, there could be a "radioactive cloud" that will blow over other regions of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe.
Authorities warned that radioactive substances could be released from the plant if it is prevented from cooling used nuclear fuel. The warning was made by the state-run company that operates all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, Energoatom.
According to CBS News, Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine's Minister for Energy, spoke on Wednesday saying that authorities in Kyiv were unable to confirm the status of the Chernobyl facility due to the monitoring systems being down. They noted that the plant's power supply required immediate fixing to address the potential threat.
Potential Catastrophe
On the other hand, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal underscored that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "committed to guarantee the security and safety of nuclear sites in Ukraine" during his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.
The main reason that officials are worried about the Chernobyl power plant is that it is home to fuel rods containing 230 kilograms of uranium. The chemicals are submerged in water that is at least 15 meters deep and uses an active cooling system, said a Princeton University physicist, Frank von Hippel, who co-founded the Program on Science and Global Security.
With the power cut causing the plant's cooling system to potentially stop, the radioactive fuel rods could rise in temperature and boil away the water they are submerged in. The result could be a fire that could spread throughout the plant.
The nuclear power safety director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Edwin Lyman, said that the concern is an unlikely situation because the temperature of the fuel is inherently low. Von Hippel added that in the worst-case scenario, it would take several weeks or months for the 2,000 fuel assembly pieces in the power plant's deep water pool to boil away, the Associated Press reported.
Related Article:
Russia-Ukraine War: Pentagon Admits Poland Jet Proposal Shows "Difficult Logistical Challenges"
