2023-06-08 21:00:00
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine continues to pump water from the Kakhovka dam to cool the fuel and avoid an accident, theDEBT.
A reassuring announcement following the big boss of Ukrhydroenergo, Igor Syrota, declared earlier that the level of the water tank which is used to cool the reactors had fallen below the critical threshold of 12.7 meters. This was, he said, a direct consequence of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam on Tuesday on the Dnieper River.
After examination, it turned out that the pumping operations should able to continue even if the level fell below the current threshold of 12.7 meters
previously deemed critical, explained the UN body in a press release, which now sets the limit at 11 meters or even lower
.
In these difficult circumstances, this gives us a little more time before possibly moving on to other sources of supply.
underlined the head of theDEBT Rafael Grossi, expected at the scene next week.
When the dam can no longer be used, the plant may resort to a large retention basin located nearby as well as smaller reserves and on-site wells that can provide cooling water for several months
.
If they can no longer be cooled, the storage pools and reactor cores of the plant – the largest in Europe with a capacity of 6,000 megawatts – might melt, which would produce a nuclear disaster.
Located at Enerhodar, 150 kilometers upstream from the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River, the nuclear power plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, but it is still operated by Ukrainian teams.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, who is due to visit the plant next week, himself noted earlier this week that water might no longer be pumped into the reactors if the reservoir level drops below 12.7 meters.
A rescue pool
The presence of a large basin of water currently full located near the site might supply the plant for several months, according to Mr. Grossi, because the six reactors have been stopped, but they must be cooled permanently all the same.
« It is vital that this basin remains intact. Nothing should be done to undermine its integrity. »
Every drop of water is now rationed at the Zaporizhia power plant, where water consumption is strictly reserved for activities related to essential nuclear safety
.
On Tuesday, the Khakovka hydroelectric dam was partially destroyed by a powerful explosion for which the Russians and Ukrainians mutually blame each other, which caused massive flooding downstream of the dam in the Kherson region.
Ukraine is beginning to grasp the extent of the devastation caused by the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. In front of the first victims which are declared and the threats towards sensitive agricultural regions, President Zelensky asks for help quickly. The story of Lise Villeneuve.
More than 600 square kilometers of land, towns and villages are now under water, driving tens of thousands of civilians from their homes.
Upstream of the dam, on the other hand, the water level has dropped considerably, depriving the Crimea in particular of a significant supply of water, just like the six reactors of the Zaporijia power station.
Located in the middle of a war zone, the nuclear power plant has been the target of fire on several occasions since the start of the conflict. It has had to be cut off from the Ukrainian electricity grid seven times since March 4, 2022.
Bombed disaster areas
Thousands of homes, buildings and infrastructure were submerged downstream of the dam, along the Dnieper River.
Photo : Associated Press / Libkos
A misfortune that never comes alone, Russian artillery fire left at least one dead and 18 injured on Thursday in Kherson, where laborious evacuation operations for thousands of civilians are taking place. kyiv claims that members of the emergency services were directly targeted by Russian strikes.
According to Moscow, Russian forces were responding to Ukrainian fire which also killed civilians in occupied areas.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also claimed that his troops had countered a Ukrainian offensive in the Zaporizhia region, northeast of Kherson, at a time when Kiev said it was ready to launch an assault to reconquer territories occupied by Moscow.
h30 in the morning in the area of Zaporizhia the enemy tried to break through our defenses with […] up to 1500men and 150armored vehicles”,”text”:”Today at 1:30 a.m. in the area of Zaporizhia the enemy tried to break through our defenses with […] up to 1500 men and 150 armored vehicles””>Today, at 1.30 a.m. in the area of Zaporizhia, the enemy tried to break through our defenses with […] up to 1500 men and 150 armored vehicles
said Mr. Shoigu in a press release.
The enemy is stopped and retreats with heavy losses
he said.
Statements, however, unverifiable from independent sources. The Ukrainian authorities did not immediately mention these events.
Rescue is organized
The police evacuate as best they can residents of a flooded area in Kherson.
Photo : Archyde.com
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part deplored the absence of humanitarian aid from the United Nations and the Red Cross to the affected populations.
The Red Cross responded to him to participate in the evacuation operations in Ukrainian territory, with regarding fifty volunteers.
In Brussels, the secretary general of theI’LL TAKEJens Stoltenberg, on Thursday urged the 31 countries of the Alliance to bring quickly
support for flood victims during a meeting with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Several members are already providing first aid supplies, including water filters, pumps, generators and shelter equipment, said theI’LL TAKE.
The Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) has drawn up a detailed list of Ukraine’s most urgent needs, while the World Health Organization says it has strengthened health surveillance in disaster areas to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases, including cholera.
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