Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station is now in full ‘cold shutdown’

The Russian-occupied, Ukrainian-operated Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station is now completely disconnected from the nation’s power grid and in “cold shutdown.” The plant’s sixth reactor, its last-working power unit, was switched off before dawn on Sunday, September 11, after three days of running at “a critically low power level.” Officials at Energoatom, the state enterprise that manages all four of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations, said Russian artillery fire in the area made the “cold shutdown” a necessary safety measure.

For the past several weeks, Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other’s troops of risking a nuclear disaster by firing at the Zaporizhzhia power plant — the largest in Europe. Invading Russian soldiers have controlled the station since early March 2022.

The worst-case scenario

‘The stakes are too high’ A radiochemist explains what a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant would look like

2 years ago

The worst-case scenario

‘The stakes are too high’ A radiochemist explains what a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant would look like

2 years ago