Ukraine and Russia announce shock ceasefire in bombshell Kremlin move | World | News
Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on a local ceasefire so that repairs can be made at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Rafeal Mariano Grossi, director general of the IAEA, confirmed that the IAEA today reached an agreement between both the Russian Federation and Ukraine to implement a localized ceasefire that will allow repairs to begin on Ukraine’s last remaining spare power line to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
Technicians from Ukraine’s power grid operator are expected to begin repair work in the coming days on the 330 kV line, which was damaged and disconnected as a result of military action on January 2. The disconnection left Europe’s largest nuclear power plant dependent solely on a functioning 750 kV main power line, an official IAEA statement said.
Grossi said that a power line was disconnected at the site of Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) last week after military activities damaged an electricity substation that is critical for power supply, a development that once again emphasizes the importance of reliable power grid infrastructure for nuclear security.
“The IAEA continues to work closely with both parties to ensure nuclear security in the ZNPP and prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict. The fourth interim ceasefire we have negotiated demonstrates the indispensable role we continue to play,” Grossi said today. he said.
The team also confirmed that winter protection measures were in place to prevent freezing of water in groundwater wells that provide cooling water to safety systems that cool reactors and spent fuel pools. ZNPP informed the team that the pumps operating at the unit pump stations of the six shut-down reactors would continue to operate even if ice formed on the surface of the inlet channel, and no ice was currently observed in that area.
He added: “The disruption of Ukraine’s power grid due to sustained military activities has direct implications for the nuclear safety of nuclear facilities. The IAEA will continue to assess the functionality of these critical substations as a priority.”
IAEA teams last week reported military activity or air raid alerts at all five nuclear facilities in Ukraine. Teams at the Chernobyl site and the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant were informed that flying military objects were observed within five kilometers of the facilities on January 11 and 15, respectively.
At ZNPP, the team continues to hear numerous explosions, some near the facility. The Southern Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant team reported multiple air raid alerts every day for the past week and received information that a military flying object was observed approximately 10 km away from the site.
An IAEA team left Vienna for the front line to observe repair work.
