Ukraine is threatening to cut power lines if the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is connected to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. “I think our armed forces will be ready if necessary,” Petro Kotin, head of the state-owned nuclear power plant operator Enerhoatom, told the RBK-Ukrainian agency. This might happen before the power plant is disconnected from the Ukrainian grid.
According to Kotin, Russia has long wanted to connect the nuclear power plant to Crimea. “To do this, the power plant must be completely disconnected from the Ukrainian energy system and connected to the line that connects Crimea to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant,” explains the 61-year-old. Kotin also said that Ukrainian troops would shell power lines if Russia connected the nuclear power plant to its grid.
