Ukrainian Prime Minister Reports Accident at Nuclear Plant
An issue at Europe's largest nuclear power plant scared the international community after Ukraine's prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, announced there had been an issue with the plant. One of the plant's reactors has been temporarily shut down while repairs continue.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk announced an incident had happened at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to the New York Times. During his announcement before Ukraine's new parliament, he told the new energy minister, Volodymyr Demchyshyn, to inform reporters on the matter.
Demchyshyn said a malfunction had happened at the plant but there was "no threat" since the problem had occurred not at a reactor but an energy distribution section.
"The nuclear energy agency believes block will come online on Friday following test runs today and tomorrow. This is in no way connected with the reactor, and there is no leak of radiation," he said, according to the Telegraph.
The issue happened near the plant's Number 3 bloc. This houses one of the plant's six 1,000-megawatt reactors. He added that there was no imminent risk to the public.
France's public nuclear safety institute, IRSN, said on Wednesday it detected no unusual radioactivity in the Ukraine, reports Reuters. The incident will not pose a threat to the environment or local population.
"We have two sensors installed on the roof of the French embassy in Kiev, and the embassy has not signaled anything unusual," Michel Chouha, the IRSN's special representative for Central and Eastern Europe, said, adding that they would know of a serious incident.
Ukraine received around 50 percent of its energy from nuclear power plants, explains the Telegraph. Recent issues with Russia, however, have jeopardized Ukraine's gas and coal supply, according to the AFP, laying a heavier burden on its nuclear energy sector. The country has enacted rolling power cuts to save on electricity.
The plant is located some 150 miles west of Donetsk, where the government is fighting separatist rebels.
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