Russian Nuclear Terrorism: Rivne NPP Shutdown One of Four Power Units, while Khmelnitsky NPP Halted the Operation of Two
Director General Grossi described it as a "very disturbing development."
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Because of the Russian missile strikes on November 15th, the Rivne NPP shut down one of its four power units, while the Khmelnytskyi NPP shut down two, the IAEA reports.
The report says that on November 15, the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant lost full access to the electricity grid for more than 9 hours, so it was forced to switch to diesel generators for backup power. After the plant restored external power through two 330 kilovolt (kV) backup power lines, the diesel generators were shut down.
"The KhNPP’s grid connection was completely lost at 18:35 local time on 15 November, after the site’s four operating power lines were progressively lost over a two-and-a-half-hour period because of missile attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure, Ukraine told the IAEA. During this period, the plant’s two reactors were shut down, halting their delivery of electricity to households, factories and others", the statement reads.
Another nuclear power plant also located in western Ukraine – Rivne – lost the connection to one of its 750 kV power lines yesterday afternoon. As a result, the plant reduced its power output, and one of its four units was automatically disconnected. At 04:00 today, the plant increased the power of one of its other units to continue supplying electricity to the Ukrainian network.
"This was a very concerning development. It shows the potential nuclear safety and security risks facing all of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities during this terrible war, not just the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. While off-site power is now back at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant, yesterday’s power loss clearly demonstrates that the nuclear safety and security situation in Ukraine can suddenly take a turn for the worse, increasing the risk of a nuclear emergency”, Director General Grossi said.
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