Power is back on at Chernobyl power station as ‘nuclear disaster averted’

Power cut at the plant led to concerns over the risk of radiation leak if the power line was not repaired

File A general view shows a New Safe Confinement (NSC) structure over the old sarcophagus covering the damaged fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (REUTERS)

Ukraine said it has restored power at the Chernobyl power plant which was captured by Russian troops, averting “the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe” for the entire Europe.

Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko said in a statement that Ukrainian engineers risked their own lives to avert the possible crisis.

"Today, thanks to the incredible efforts of (Ukrainian energy) specialists, our nuclear power engineers and electricians managed to return the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was seized by the Russian occupiers," Mr Galushchenko said.

"Our Ukrainian energy engineers, by risking their own health and lives, were able to avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe that threatened the whole of Europe," he added.

He said that the plant’s cooling system will operate normally after the maintenance work and will not have to use backup power.

On Wednesday, Ukraine said a high voltage power line at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 was damaged during the fighting and the plant was disconnected from the power grid.

It led to concerns over the risk of radiation leak if the power line was not repaired while the UN’s atomic watchdog, however, attempted to downplay the concerns, saying there was "no critical impact to safety".

James Acton, a co-director of the nuclear policy programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, had said: “The loss of power at Chernobyl is concerning but it is extremely unlikely that spent fuel pools there will empty because of evaporation (which could lead to fuel melting). This process is slow and mitigations should be straightforward.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency played on Monday called it a “positive development” but added that they are concerned for the safety and security at Chernobyl and Ukraine’s other nuclear facilities.

“This is a positive development as the Chernobyl NPP has had to rely on emergency diesel generators for several days now,” director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said. “However, I remain gravely concerned about safety and security at Chernobyl and Ukraine’s other nuclear facilities.”

Mr Grossi said that the Ukrainian regulator informed the agency that the staff at Chernobyl are no longer carrying out repair and maintenance, in part due to their physical and psychological fatigue after working non-stop for nearly three weeks.

He said the situation at the plant “added further urgency to an IAEA initiative aimed at ensuring safety and security at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.”

Mr Grossi said they have prepared a framework to help operate Ukraine’s nuclear facilities as “we can’t afford to lose more time” and that it was shared with Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers.

As the invasion continues, Russian forces also captured Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe’s biggest atomic power plant earlier on 4 March. Its forces were accused of triggering a fire that caused alarm among Western leaders. Russian engineers arrived at the plant earlier this week and checked radiation levels.

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