POWER has been entirely cut to the Chernobyl power plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, and its security systems, Ukraine’s energy operator Ukrenergo said today. 

The plant “was fully disconnected from the power grid”, Ukrenergo said in a statement on its Facebook page, adding that military operations meant “there is no possibility to restore the lines”.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the defunct plant, site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.

Yesterday, United Nations atomic watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the site is no longer transmitting data and voiced concern for staff working under the Russian guard. 

The situation for the staff “is worsening”, the IAEA said, citing the Ukrainian nuclear regulator. 

The defunct plant sits inside an exclusion zone that houses decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities.  

More than 2,000 staff still work at the plant as it requires constant management to prevent another nuclear disaster.

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi yesterday called “on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there”.

He also repeated his offer to travel to Chernobyl or elsewhere to secure “the commitment to the safety and security” of Ukraine’s power plants from all parties. – AFP, March 9, 2022.