KIEV: Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned energy company, claimed that an emergency power outage occurred at the now-defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was taken over by Russian troops on the first day of Moscow's war on Kiev.
Due to Wednesday's outage, on-site emergency diesel generators were activated to power critical safety systems, the company said in a Facebook post. Ukrenergo also stated that the diesel fuel supply for diesel generators will be sufficient for 48 hours.
According to the company, energy restoration work was rendered impossible due to Russian combat operations in the region. Although operations at the plant ceased following the 1986 nuclear disaster, Chernobyl was never completely abandoned and continues to require constant management, the BBC reported, adding that spent nuclear fuel is cooled on-site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the power outage at Chernobyl on Thursday morning, stating that it "would not have a critical impact on the site's essential safety functions." However, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the outage was likely to add to the stress of the approximately 210 technical experts and guards who have been trapped at the site since Russia launched its war on February 24.
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