Although the six reactors at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, have been shut down, the fuel in them still needs to be cooled to prevent a potentially catastrophic meltdown. Therefore, the plant needs electricity to pump water through the reactor core. Zaporizhzhia’s power supply has been a concern after the last main line fell and three backup lines that can connect it to a nearby coal-fired power plant were disconnected. This prompted the plant to go into “island mode”, where the last operating reactor provided power, although this mode of operation is not sustainable. A backup power line was reconnected a week ago, allowing that reactor to be shut down as well. “With the reconnection of the main line yesterday afternoon, the three back-up power lines remain on standby again,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said. “The other three main external 750 kV (kilovolt) power lines that were lost earlier during the collision remain out of service.” Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the bombing of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) site that damaged buildings and caused power lines to be disconnected. “While the ZNPP power situation improved last week – in sharp contrast to earlier this month, when all power lines at one stage were down and it was dependent on its last active reactor for vital power supplies – the general situation for the plant located in the middle of a war zone remains precarious,” the IAEA said.
