Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant back on the grid

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest in Europe, is on the front line in the Ukraine war and is currently occupied by Russian troops. Last week the plant was completely disconnected from the Ukrainian grid for one day and operated only on an emergency power supply. An IAEA inspection team is now on its way to the site. What is going on, and how great is the risk of an accident?

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Strana (UA) /

Russia testing connection to its own grid

Russia apparently wants to connect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to the Russian power grid, Strana believes:

“The situation has already led to speculation that the plant, which is de facto controlled by the Russians, was disconnected from the Ukrainian power system not because of the shelling and not for technical reasons, but to test the possibility of connecting it to the Russian power system. 'In fact, tests are being carried out to operate Zaporizhzhia as part of the Russian power network,' energy market expert Oleg Popenko recently explained.”

Tygodnik Powszechny (PL) /

This is not a second Chernobyl

Tygodnik Powszechny reassures readers:

“Calling the crisis at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant a 'second Chernobyl', as one often sees in the media, is surely an exaggeration. After all, there are several key differences: Chernobyl had a different type of reactor - not a VVER (water-water), but a RBMK, a graphite moderated pressure tube reactor. At that time, in April 1986, the Chernobyl explosion occurred precisely in this part of the reactor, releasing radioactive graphite particles into the atmosphere. In addition, the Chernobyl reactor was not protected by a dome-shaped protective covering that could contain a large proportion of the radioactive particles in the event of an accident.”