Ukraine power plant

Russian troops have occupied Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, with managers working at "gunpoint" after a fire caused by their attack was extinguished ...

The IAEA said in a statement that Ukraine had informed it staff held at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant since Russian military forces took control of the site a week ago were facing "psychological pressure and moral exhaustion." Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine's nuclear power operator Energoatom, later reported that management were operating at "gunpoint." He said on Telegram that Russian forces "entered the territory of the nuclear power plant, took control of the personnel and management of the nuclear power plant." The Russian government has routinely and without evidence claimed the Ukrainian government is staging "provocations" to provoke a military response by Western governments.It's the not first nuclear plant to come under threat from the Russian invasion. On the first day of the assault, Russian forces seized control of the Chernobyl power plant in northern Ukraine, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, according to Ukrainian officials. In a video briefing, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces took the city of Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the territory adjacent to it on February 28. Konashenkov claimed the plant's technical staff continued regular work on the facilities, but that Ukrainian forces attempted a "monstrous provocation" in the early hours of Friday. Konashenkov also claimed the Ukrainians had set fire to the training building themselves.Smoke rises from tire barricades set on fire in Enerhoda, Ukraine, on March 3. He said that what happens next at Zaporizhzhia is "a situation that is very difficult to sustain, very fragile" while there is an active military operation and Russian forces in control. He explained that a Russian projectile had hit a building within the site, causing a localized fire, but none of the reactors were affected and radiation monitoring systems are fully functional.Ukrainian staff are still at the helm of operations at the plant, but "effective control" of the site was in the hands of Russian forces, Grossi said, adding: "I hope the distinction is clear." "We are fortunate there has not been a release of radioactive material and the integrity of the reactors has not been compromised," he said. However, he also expressed his gratitude to NATO countries that have shown support for Ukraine.Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the establishment of a no-fly zone in Ukraine by the US and it's NATO allies could lead to a "full-fledged war in Europe," but said Washington would continue to work with it's allies to provide Ukrainians with the means to defend themselves from Russian aggression.Reports of the attack on the facility emerged early Friday morning, with video of the scene showing bursts of gunfire apparently directed at the Zaporizhzhia facility before dawn.Flames could also be seen on video footage, though for some time it was unclear where the fire was or the scale of the threat posed to the facility. However, the operator and regulator have relayed to the IAEA that the situation on the ground is "extremely tense and challenging," he warned. Former CIA officer explains the challenges of tracking oligarchs' yachts'They want to kill people:' Syrian journalist compares Russia's involvement in Syria and UkraineRetired general reacts to new images of 40-mile long Russian convoy'A beacon of hope': CNN sits with composer using music to help Ukrainians 'This is what you get': Ukraine claims to have defeated convoy Woman who was inside bombed hospital gives birthEx-CIA official explains who Putin should be afraid ofUkrainians resort to desperate measures for food and waterFormer CIA officer explains the challenges of tracking oligarchs' yachts'They want to kill people:' Syrian journalist compares Russia's involvement in Syria and UkraineRetired general reacts to new images of 40-mile long Russian convoy'A beacon of hope': CNN sits with composer using music to help Ukrainians 'This is what you get': Ukraine claims to have defeated convoy Woman who was inside bombed hospital gives birthEx-CIA official explains who Putin should be afraid ofUkrainians resort to desperate measures for food and waterRussian troops have occupied Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, with managers working at "gunpoint" after a fire caused by their attack was extinguished, according to Ukrainian nuclear officials.

A fire broke out at Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, heightening fears that Russia's invasion could imperil the nation's nuclear ...

The IAEA “continues to consult with Ukraine and others” on how to provide assistance, the intergovernmental agency said in a March 3 statement. Fighting for control of the area around the plant has raged since the start of the week. Ukraine asked the IAEA this week for “immediate assistance” in keeping its nuclear facilities safe, including pressing NATO to deny access to airspace above nuclear facilities. It might be able to rely on diesel generators or portable water pumps, for example, to keep the reactors safe. “I’m extremely concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP and what happened there during the night. Radiation levels at the plant remained the same, the IAEA reported early morning on March 4th.

Ukraine is heavily dependent on nuclear energy – it has four main power plants, with 15 reactors, generating about half its electricity. On Friday, the ...

The cooling systems rely on diesel generators, so any damage to these – or if fuel was siphoned off for other purposes – could cause an incident similar to that at Fukushima, where the plant’s power failed after a tsunami. The Chernobyl reactor used graphite to keep the nuclear reaction under control and the disaster was caused by a graphite fire. The Zaporizhzhia plant – and those at Ukraine’s other main plants, Khmelnitski, Rovno and South Ukraine – has pressurised water reactors, a more modern type that do not involve graphite. “If there’s going to be a major nuclear incident it’s because something deliberately is being done,” said Tom Scott, professor in materials at the University of Bristol. “Surely nobody is going to be that stupid. Reports from the site suggest that staff have continued to control operations. The wind is blowing towards Russia at the moment.”

The country has four active nuclear power plants and one failed one, Chernobyl, whose radiation still requires constant upkeep.

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. It is somebody shooting a helicopter or a plane from the sky and it falls on some vulnerable, crucial parts of the facility. “The largest risk is an accident, is a misguided missile, is somebody who points the tank cannon in the wrong direction. Several experts noted the potential unreliability of the backup diesel-fired generators that help cool the reactors and spent fuel when electricity from the grid is cut. “To see the images of fighting on a power plant site is horrible. “On the other hand, Russia probably had a choice of not going there at all — there is no particular military value in taking control over these facilities. “We have a situation where there’s no rules anymore, none.” The risks to the plants amid the fighting are multiple and compounding, since a swift fix to any mounting problem depends on the quick and energetic work of the highly trained personnel who work inside each facility, experts said. “I would guess that Russia would rather those stations wouldn’t be there, but it cannot avoid them,” Pavel Podvig, the Geneva-based director of the Russian Nuclear Forces Project, wrote in an email. It will be a technological catastrophe for everybody,” he said. Ukrainian officials warned that the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant in Mykolaiv province could be next, with fighting underway about 19 miles from the site. “When you see fire on a nuclear power site that’s always bad,” Schneider said.

Authorities say the facility - the largest plant in Europe - is safe and radiation levels are normal.

People around the world watched via livestreamed security camera as Russian forces attacked and took over Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant—the largest in Europe—on Friday morning local time. Amid the shelling and gunfire, a fire broke out at ...

And in that case, the containment is the only remaining barrier between the radioactive material in the reactor and the environment. Reports indicate that after the Russian takeover of the Chernobyl site in Ukraine, its staff are still working and have been unable to switch out. But it’s not clear exactly what, and it’s going to depend on the good graces of the parties. But, again, that assumes certain things about what the nature of the accident is that can prove to be false or can be exceeded, such as at Fukushima. Very few of those are addressed that would need to be, if you’re going to worry that there is a real possibility of having this plant in the middle of a war zone. Each reactor has three, and then there are a couple extra, so there are a lot a lot of backup diesels at the plant. The cost of hardening commercial nuclear power plants so that they might survive a military onslaught is probably prohibitive. Even if they are not breached, they can spall, and you can have concrete falling down onto the reactor vessel. And these [VVER-1000s] do have those kinds of systems, unlike some of the earlier versions of these Soviet reactors. The big danger in any nuclear reactor is that somehow cooling of the fuel is disrupted, because without enough cooling, the fuel will heat up to the point where it can destroy itself. In addition, these plants store their spent nuclear fuel on-site—and some of that fuel is stored in cooling water, which also has to be replenished with pumps. Water in this type of reactor is pumped through the core and is heated and then is transferred to another loop that’s under high pressure.