All six reactor units of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are currently in cold shutdown for the first time since the end of 2022 after Unit 4 reached this operating state early this morning. This was stated by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, reports UNN.
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As noted in the IAEA report, in accordance with ZNPP's plans, as previously reported by the agency, the plant began switching Unit 4 from hot to cold shutdown on Friday morning, a process that was completed at 7:30 a.m. today. The company decided to take this step after the winter heating season recently ended in the neighboring town of Energodar, where most of the plant's personnel live.
"I welcome this development, which the Agency has been recommending for some time, as it enhances the overall safety of the facility. The Agency will continue to closely monitor the operational status of Zaporizhzhya NPP and provide technically viable alternatives in the context of rapid changes and challenges," said Director General Grossi.
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The statement noted that ZNPP stopped generating electricity for the national grid in September 2022, but since October 2022, at least one of the six units has been in hot shutdown mode to provide district heating as well as process steam for processing liquid waste at the site.
We will remind
Russian troops occupied the city of Energodar and the nearby Zaporizhzhya NPP in early March 2022.
The territory of the station is periodically shelled. The Ukrainian authorities also stated that the Russian army used the nuclear power plant to store military equipment and deploy its servicemen.