Ukraine's operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) reduced electricity production as a precautionary measure this morning following widespread military activities across the country that reportedly targeted its energy infrastructure, putting nuclear safety and security under further pressure, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
Although the NPPs - Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine - were not directly impacted and did not shut down, several electrical substations on which they depend suffered further damage during the strikes, Director General Grossi said, citing information from Ukraine's national regulator. The main power lines from four of the substations were disconnected. At the moment, only two of the country's nine operational reactors currently generate electricity at 100 percent capacity.
IAEA teams visited seven substations - located outside the NPPs across the country - in September and October to assess the damage from attacks in August and will assess whether further visits are required following today's military activities, said Director General Grossi, who spoke to the head of the national regulator about the impact of the attacks.
The IAEA teams based at the NPPs heard air defence activities and sought shelter during the air raid alarms. At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, the IAEA team heard a loud explosion. At the Rivne NPP, two 330 kilovolt (kV) power lines were unavailable, the team there reported.
NPPs need reliable connections to the grid both to transmit the electricity they produce and to receive off-site power for reactor cooling. The increasing fragility of the grid has been one of the main challenges for nuclear safety and security throughout the armed conflict.
Of the nine currently operational reactors at the three NPPs, six reduced output during the morning, ranging from just over 40 percent of maximum capacity to above 90 percent. At the moment, only two operate at 100 percent capacity, with one in shutdown for maintenance. All NPPs continued to receive off-site power.
"The country's energy infrastructure is extremely vulnerable, directly impacting nuclear safety and security," Director General Grossi said. "We are still assessing the full extent of the damage. At this critical time, I reiterate the importance of adhering to the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security during the conflict, in particular pillar four that states there must be a secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites."