On the night of March 4 at Russian army continued to shell the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) (in the city of Energodar, Central Ukraine). It resulted in a fire and destroyed the training complex. There was a hit in the first power unit of the station. As of 06:40 the fire was liquidated. The Russian armyentered the ZNPP territory and took control of the leadership and personnel. Losses of the Ukrainian military after the night assault on the ZNPP: 3 dead, 2 wounded, including 1 in serious condition. Station personnel were not injured.
What preceded the event? On the evening of March 3, 2022, Russian invaders with heavy equipment, consisting of about 100 units, broke through the checkpoint at the entrance to Energodar and the ZNPP, broke into the city and began shelling the nuclear power plant.
What is the nuclear threat at ZNPP? According to Petro Kotin, Acting President of SE NNEGC EnergoAtom, there are 6 reactors at ZNPP, there is fuel in each of them, there is also a nuclear plant (storage) with 150 fuel containers. If a projectile hits them, it will lead to a nuclear catastrophe. In an emergency situation, two power units were disconnected from the system and are in a safe state.
Kotin comments: “During the Chernobyl disaster, an explosion occurred at one power unit, there are six of them at the Zaporozhye station, so the consequences of intervention and unprofessional handling of reactor plants will be six times catastrophic.”
Petr Kotin also adds that the energy system of Ukraine will work when the Zaporozhye NPP power plant is turned off.
According to the publication “Livyi Bereg” (Left Bank), the state of the power units at the ZNPP:
Power unit No. 1: scheduled preventive maintenance.
Power units No. 2, 3: disconnected from the network and transferred to a safe state.
Power unit No. 4: in operation, electric power 690 MW.
Power units No. 5, 6: transferred to a safe state.