The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said in a statement that losing cooling “will lead to significant radioactive releases into the environment” that could be worse than Chernobyl. This is why it is vital that fighting in the area is stopped and staff are allowed in to safely manage the plant. James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington DC, pointed out that these reactors will now be reliant on external power for cooling and that if power is cut off and the ability to cool the reactors is lost, there is a chance of a meltdown – exactly what happened at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in 2011. The design is a lot different to the Chernobyl reactor, which did not have a containment building, and hence there is no real risk, in my opinion, at the plant now the reactors have been safely shut down.” “The reactor core is itself further housed in a sealed steel pressure vessel with 20-centimetre-thick walls. “The essential reactor components are housed inside a heavily steel reinforced concrete containment building that can withstand extreme external events, both natural and man-made, such as an aircraft crash or explosions,” he said. Mark Wenman at Imperial College London said in a statement to the UK Science Media Centre that he believes the plant is well protected, so the chance of radiation leaks is minimal. The evacuation of Europe.” Is that right?Įxperts have dismissed the suggestion that an explosion was imminent, or even likely. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a warning that if an explosion occurs it could be “10 times larger than Chernobyl”, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly said in a speech overnight that “if there is an explosion that’s the end for everyone. Five of the six reactors are now turned off, with one still operating safely. Ukrainian regulators say safety systems weren’t affected, but warned that the situation meant they hadn’t been able to check the entire site – firefighters were initially unable to tackle the blaze because they were being shot at, said a plant spokesperson. The group also reported no change in radiation levels at the plant, suggesting that none of the uranium-235 fuel has been released.Ī projectile hit a training building in the vicinity of one of the plant’s reactor units, causing a fire. ![]() Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory authority said that a fire had broken out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant but it didn’t affect “essential” equipment. Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesĮurope’s largest nuclear power plant, located in south-eastern Ukraine, has been shelled by Russian forces overnight, causing concern about the potential release of radioactive material. A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following a Russian attack on 4 March
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