The Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, under Russian control and the victim of several bombardments, is “totally disconnected” from the network after the damage to the communication lines, announced Thursday the Ukrainian operator Energoatom.
“The two reactors of the plant in operation have been disconnected from the network. As a result, the actions of the invaders caused a complete disconnection of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant from the power grid, for the first time in its history,” the state group Energoatom said on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian operator, fires on the territory of the Zaporizhia thermal power plant, located near the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, twice caused the disconnection of the last line of communication connecting the site to the electrical network.
“Three other lines of communication had previously been damaged during Russian terrorist attacks,” continues Energoatom.
The electricity supply of the nuclear power plant itself is provided from the thermal power plant, according to the same source. “Operations are underway to connect a reactor to the network,” she added.
For weeks, Moscow and kyiv have accused each other of several bombings that targeted this nuclear power plant, which has six reactors with a total capacity of 6,000 megawatts and has been occupied since March by Russian troops.
Ukraine also accuses Russia of storing heavy weapons in the Zaporizhia power plant and using it as a base for strikes on Ukrainian positions.
Moscow denies for its part having deployed weapons in the plant and ensures that there are only units providing security. Russia in turn accuses Ukrainian forces of carrying out drone strikes on the site.
The UN has called for a demilitarized zone to be set up around the plant to guarantee the security of the site and allow an inspection mission.