Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant may soon exhaust fuel to run its emergency generators after being unplugged from power sources for more than a week, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
The agency reported that the facility’s authorities said that the plant had been safely shut down but urgently required diesel fuel to support cooling of the reactor. All external electricity of the power plant was lost on Aug. 20 due to frontline developments.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the plant possessed about ten days’ worth of diesel on the site. He issued a plea to both sides in the conflict to establish a “local ceasefire” to allow emergency personnel to safely carry out repairs on electrical lines and damage.
While all six reactors at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant were shut down, it requires electricity to operate essential safety systems, including cooling facilities, to avoid catastrophe. Russia and Ukraine blamed one another for the damaged equipment.
