IAEA says Ukrainian nuclear power plants require large-scale repairs

Ukraine's power grid once again came under military attack over the past weekend, significantly affecting operations in several regions of Ukraine and at nuclear power plants (NPP), making large-scale repair work necessary.

Source: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "Extensive repairs are needed to improve the reliability of power supply to Ukrainian NPPs and to strengthen their resilience to further grid events."

Details: Grossi said that power transmission lines connecting Ukraine with neighbouring countries were disconnected, triggering cascading outages of transmission lines within Ukraine.

As a result, one reactor unit at a nuclear power plant disconnected from the grid due to voltage fluctuations and shut down automatically, while other units at other NPPs were forced to reduce output.

Grossi noted that amid intensified military activity affecting Ukraine's power grid, three IAEA teams are currently visiting 10 substations that are critical for nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.

The aim of this two-week IAEA mission is to assess long-term damage to the power grid, review repair work and identify practical steps to strengthen the resilience of external power supplies to the country's nuclear power plants.

It is also noted that earlier last week, the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant detected 44 drones within its observation zone. Last Tuesday, the IAEA team at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant took shelter in their hotel, while two drones were detected in the plant's observation zone. A further six drones were detected at the Rivne NPP last week.

The information contains no mention of the source of the "military activity".

Background: On 31 January, a major breakdown in Ukraine's power system caused electricity to be cut off across large parts of the country.

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