LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #640, Friday, (05/24/2024)
LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #640, Friday, (05/24/2024)
“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity"
(Image: IAEA)
LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (05/24/2024)
The apparent and extremely dangerous ongoing sabotage of the subject nuclear power plant (Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine) in the article below has been going on for more than a year, and lately the incoming power lines that provide indispensable electricity to operate the plant and its nuclear reactors, forcing the huge nuclear plant (the largest in Europe with six reactors), to rely on inadequate power generation from diesel generators providing far less than full power from the incoming grid. It has become a war weapon unto itself waiting to win the war for Russia.
Several meltdowns have reportedly somehow been avoided by patching up the power lines just in the nick of time according to the news we get from many international news and watchdog agencies sources. Should this plant fail and suffer a meltdown, not only would Ukraine be dangerously affected by radiation from the failing reactors, but much of Europe would be threatened as well.
If we consider the tense world situation today, this kind of problem could, created not only by intensified war, but also by sabotage and cyber attacks from conventional warfare, but also from international terrorism, endangering human and other life wherever nuclear power plants are situated around the globe. The threat of nuclear war is bad enough, but terrorism could also easily contaminate much of planet Earth with lethal radiation.
And yet we are being encouraged by world governments and the aggressive nuclear industry to build more of them in order to defeat global warming and climate change from current use of fossil fuels contaminating the planet with CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. We should be concentrating on renewable resources like wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal energy around the world to achieve a safer, faster and far more economic solution. And an attempt at conservation might help as well. ~llaw
IAEA's Grossi highlights continued Zaporizhzhia power supply concerns
24 May 2024
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said concerns continue over the impact potential disruption to off-site power could have at Ukraine's nuclear power plants.
He was speaking after Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which has been under the control of the Russian military since early March 2022, had to rely on its last remaining 330 kV back-up external power line for more than three hours on Thursday.
According to the IAEA the disconnection of the 750kV Dniprovska line happened at 13:31 local time, about six kilometres from plant's switchyard, in Russian-controlled territory. The plant told the IAEA that it was caused by a short-circuit and that it was reconnected at 16:49.
Before the conflict the plant had four 750 kV and six 330 kV lines, compared with one of each at the moment. It also has an expanded fleet of emergency diesel generators to provide power for essential safety functions in case all external power is lost.
Grossi said: "For Europe's largest nuclear power plant to depend on one or two power lines is a deep source of concern and clearly not sustainable. Our concerns also extend to the operating nuclear power plants across Ukraine, where a disruption to off-site power supplies could have very serious implications for nuclear safety."
He reported that the IAEA team stationed at Zaporizhzhia continued to hear explosions at various distances from the plant: "For the outside world, the situation ... may have appeared relatively calm in recent weeks, since the drone attacks on the site confirmed by our experts in mid-April. But this is not the way we see the situation on the ground. The stark reality is one of constant danger. The nuclear safety and security situation at the site remains extremely vulnerable."
The IAEA team has continued to carry out observations at the plant, and this week visited the main warehouse facility, outside the plant perimeter, where they saw spare parts and "the team noted that much of the electrical equipment originated from western suppliers and was delivered prior to the start of the armed conflict". The IAEA said it was told by the ZNPP that the transition to a new procurement system was almost complete for procurement from potential suppliers in the Russian Federation.
The IAEA has had staff stationed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant since September 2022 as part of efforts to reduce the safety risks to a facility which is on the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces. It also has experts present at the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine nuclear power plants and the Chernobyl site - they all report that "nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on several days over the past week".
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:
There are 6 categories, including a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:
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A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.
TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Friday, (05/24/2024)
All Things Nuclear
NEWS
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Nuclear Power
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IAEA's Grossi highlights continued Zaporizhzhia power supply concerns
World Nuclear News
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said concerns continue over the impact potential disruption to ...
Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant suffers power supply glitch that could lead to ... - GB News
GB News
The International Atomic Energy (IAEA) said that the power outage “underlines extremely precarious nuclear safety and security” at the plant. Yet the ...
Congress Wants to Solve Nuclear Waste. The Solutions Are Known. - POWER Magazine
POWER Magazine
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Nuclear Power Emergencies
NEWS
IAEA's Grossi highlights continued Zaporizhzhia power supply concerns
World Nuclear News
... power could have at Ukraine's nuclear power plants ... power for essential safety functions in case all external power ... IAEA staff observe emergency ...
Electricity shortages persist, blackout schedules are in effect around the clock - Ukrenergo
unn.ua
The reason: significant damage to energy infrastructure facilities after 5 massive Russian attacks. The company said that emergency recovery and ...
Belarus to provide humanitarian aid to Russia's regions affected by flood - BELTA
BELTA
The Emergencies Ministry, the Agriculture and ... The Emergencies Ministry ... Rosatom ready to build second nuclear power plant in Belarus if necessary.
Nuclear War
NEWS
Threat of nuclear war paralyses International Geneva - SWI swissinfo.ch
Swissinfo
With Russia starting nuclear exercises near Ukraine and disarmament negotiations in Geneva at a standstill, the question arises: can diplomacy address ...
Is Putin preparing for nuclear war? - ASPI The Strategist
ASPI The Strategist
On 6 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he had authorised a military exercise involving the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in ...
Ukrainian missiles hit Crimea as Russia launches nuclear drills in area - Euronews.com
Euronews.com
Ukraine struck two Crimean targets late on Thursday, the Russian head of the annexed peninsula said. Two people were killed in a missile attack near ...
Nuclear War Threats
NEWS
Is Putin preparing for nuclear war? | The Strategist
ASPI Strategist
... threats to use nuclear weapons. And he is now doing so with increasing frequency. Since this tactical nuclear weapon exercise is concentrated in ...
The View From Kyiv: How Ukraine Confronted the Looming Threat of War - Literary Hub
Literary Hub
And it stated that both sides must avoid situations that might be deemed “national security threats. ... nuclear triad. The message was: Get out of ...
Russia says main power line to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant goes down, no safety threats
WIBQ
... nuclear plant goes down, no safety threats. By Thomson Reuters May 23, 2024 ... dangers to nuclear safety and security” from the Russia-Ukraine war.