Shutting off the power at Chernobyl could lead to spread of radiation

 National Review:

Ukrainian officials on Wednesday sounded alarms after Russian forces cut off the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear plant, warning that the blackout could cause uncooled spent fuel assemblies to release radioactive substances into the environment.

Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company Energoatom said in a Telegram post that the 750 kV Chernobyl-Kyiv high-voltage line is currently disconnected “due to damage by the occupiers,” cutting off electricity needed to cool 20,000 spent fuel assemblies at the plant. Energoatom warned that the warming of the spent nuclear fuel could cause a “radioactive cloud” that winds could send to other regions of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Europe.

Continued fighting has made it impossible to carry out repairs and restore power, the company said. Ukrainian foreign affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba called for a ceasefire to complete the repairs on Wednesday.

“The only electrical grid supplying the Chornobyl NPP and all its nuclear facilities occupied by Russian army is damaged,” he said in a tweet. “CNPP lost all electric supply. I call on the international community to urgently demand Russia to cease fire and allow repair units to restore power supply.”
...

It is not clear whether the Russian army is doing this deliberately or just does not care.  It has demonstrated a general lack of competency since the invasion began. 

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