Shelling damages cables providing power to Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor, UN watchdog says.
A number of cables providing electricity to one of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s reactors were damaged by shelling on Wednesday, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement,reports CNN.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said the shelling had temporarily forced reactor number six “to rely on emergency diesel generators for the power it needs for essential safety functions.”
The five other reactors were not affected and continued ” to receive power directly from the plant’s off-site power line that was restored last week,” IAEA added.
The plant in southern Ukraine, with six reactors, is the largest nuclear power station in Europe. It was mostly built in the Soviet era and became Ukrainian property after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
“Work is underway to repair the damaged cables,” the IAEA’s statement said.
“This once again demonstrates the urgent necessity to establish such a zone around the ZNPP. Until yesterday, there seemed to be less shelling at or near the plant, but this latest episode shows that the danger remains very real, It hasn’t gone away, and we can’t afford to lose any more time,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.
