TIMELINE: Fears grow of of risk of 'catastrophe' at Ukraine Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Record ID: 1685587

  • Title: TIMELINE: Fears grow of of risk of 'catastrophe' at Ukraine Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
  • Date: 21st August 2022
  • Summary: LVIV, UKRAINE (RECENT - AUGUST 18, 2022) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE BY U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, AND TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES SAYING: “I remain gravely concerned about the unfolding situation in and around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. Common sense must prevail to avoid any actions that might endanger the physical integrity, safety, or security of the nuclear plant. The facility must not be used as part of any military operation. Instead, the agreement is urgently needed to re-establish Zaporizhzhia as purely civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safety of the area.” Reuters spoke to Russian radiochemist and senior nuclear expert Boris Zhuikov from the Institute for Nuclear Research at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Zhuikov said that shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex could damage the cooling system for its reactors. If this happened a 'Fukushima level' accident could be possible, he said. MOSCOW, RUSSIA (RECENT - AUGUST 15, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RADIOCHEMIST, Ph.D., BORIS ZHUIKOV, SAYING: "The shelling can damage the nuclear power plant, it's certainly true. But most likely it is not the reactor itself (directly) that will be damaged. The reactor is well protected. It has a powerful body and a reinforced concrete shell. The reactor cooling system can be damaged, as a result of which, in principle, a rather severe accident is possible, not at the Chernobyl level, but at the Fukushima level, when volatile radionuclides, for example, Iodine-131, Cesium-137, are released."
  • Embargoed: 4th September 2022 08:13
  • Keywords: Russia Ukraine United Nations Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskiy Zaporizhzhia captured by Russia nuclear power plant
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: Various
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA00E968120082022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A WRAP AND CONTAINS NO FRESH MATERIAL
    The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest of its kind, was captured by Russia in March, shortly after President Vladimir Putin ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what he called a "special military operation."
    Fears have grown in recent weeks over its safety and the risks of a possible Fukushima-style nuclear accident after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of shelling it.
    Kyiv accuses Russia of using the plant as a shield from which it shells Ukrainian targets. It also says Russia has shelled the plant; Moscow says Ukraine is the one shelling the facility.
    Moscow has rejected international calls to demilitarise the plant and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 19 renewed his accusation that Kyiv was shelling it in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Kremlin's readout.
    Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years.
    It is Europe's biggest nuclear power plant and one of the biggest in the world. Construction began in 1980 and its sixth reactor was connected to the grid in 1995.
    As of July 22, just two of its reactors were operating, according to the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).
    (Production: Paul Warren, Natasa Bansagi)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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