Chernobyl

2022 - 3 - 9

expert reaction to reports that the (a) IAEA has lost contact with ... (Science Media Centre)

There are reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lost contact with Chernobyl nuclear data systems and that the Chernobyl site is ...

Some parts of the site might become off limits to the workers until the power is restored. In the unlikely event of a release of any radiation, this would be only to the immediate local area, and therefore not pose any threat to Western Europe – there would be no radioactive cloud. It is also important to note that drying out of the ponds will not cause a nuclear reaction or explosion to occur. I think that while it is important to avoid the cooling ponds drying out, the consequences of drying out the ponds will be far less than either the Chernobyl accident of 1987 or the more recent Fukushima accident. This should hopefully allow enough time for the power to cooling systems to be restored. By cutting off the power lines to Chernobyl the site will have to depend on their own generators, which will have a limited supply of diesel or gas. It may become much harder for workers to enter some parts of the site without full protective clothing, they may also have greater difficulty in changing in and out of their protective clothing. This prevents further degradation of Reactor number 4 and the hazardous exposed nuclear fuel within, and is essential to the future decommissioning of the site. “I think that drying out the ponds will generate a threat to workers rather than the general public. “The fuel in these pools is decades old, and hence has very little residual heat being generated. The lack of these safety systems is therefore a conditional concern.” Nevertheless, it is an unhealthy situation for both for staff at the site and the surrounding area.

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sky News"

Ukraine war: All contact with Chernobyl power plant has been lost ... (Sky News)

The plant, the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, was taken over by Russian forces last week as part of their invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, staff at the plant communicated with Ukrainian regulatory authorities by email - but "all communications" were lost "the day after the Russian-controlled site lost all external power supplies", according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Previously, staff at the plant communicated with Ukrainian regulatory authorities by email but "all communications" were lost "the day after the Russian-controlled site lost all external power supplies", according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ukraine has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog that all contact with the power plant at Chernobyl has been lost.

Ukrainian couple evacuated from Chernobyl in 80s are now trapped ... (Reuters)

Halyna and Valeriy, a Ukrainian couple in their 60s, were evacuated from their home near the Chernobyl plant where they worked as engineers when a reactor ...

We have no road to anywhere. "We have no hope for any (humanitarian) corridors. They have covered their kitchen windows in blankets so there is no light that might attract air strikes. The couple declined to give their surname or exact location, fearing it might put them at risk. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

What a Power Cutoff Could Mean for Chernobyl’s Nuclear Waste (unknown)

With no working reactors, there is no risk of a meltdown. But the ruins from the 1983 disaster still pose considerable dangers.

As is common practice in the nuclear power industry, the fuel removed from all four Chernobyl reactors over the years, more than 20,000 assemblies in all, is stored in pools of water that dissipate the heat produced as the fuel decays radioactively. The fuel inside a reactor eventually becomes used up and is replaced. This is what happened at the Fukushima reactors in Japan in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami wiped out backup power systems.

Ukrainian utility says repair team waiting to restore power to Chernobyl plant, rejects Belarus assistance (unknown)

Ukraine's national electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo, said Thursday it has a team ready to restore power at the closed Chernobyl nuclear power plant and ...

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi tweeted that he was in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday joining diplomatic officials to discuss the “urgent issue” of ensuring the safety and security at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. “The situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is difficult.... “Ukrenergo expects a safe corridor that will enable the reconstruction of the line to power Chornobyl,” it said in a Facebook post Thursday, using Ukraine’s spelling for the plant.

The Situation at Chernobyl Is Deteriorating (unknown)

The defunct site of the infamous 1986 meltdown has lost power two weeks after it was seized by Russian forces. Experts fear that another nuclear disaster ...

On Wednesday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the IAEA, tweeted that so far there is “no critical impact on safety,” although in a press statement the agency said that “the lack of power is likely to lead to a further deterioration of operational radiation safety at the site.” But on the same day, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmitro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that the limited power to cooling systems makes “radiation leaks imminent.” Without power, the site’s 1.5-billion-euro decommissioning program could be imperiled, Claire Corkhill, an expert on nuclear material degradation at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, wrote on Twitter and in an email to WIRED. “To have a long-term loss of power is certainly a concern,” says Ed Lyman, a senior global security scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists and coauthor of the book Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster. Some of Chernobyl’s waste has been transferred into dry casks, but considerable quantities of fuel rods remain in a pool that requires cooling.

In Ukraine, there’s no second Chernobyl disaster in the making — not yet (unknown)

On March 9, Ukraine's nuclear regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Chernobyl power plant lost electricity and that the safe ...

The safety and security systems of nuclear power plants and spent fuel facilities, robust though they are, were not designed with a full-scale and protracted war in mind. A few hours after the Russian invasion started, early on Feb. 24, the Russian military occupied the Chernobyl exclusion zone, some 30 kilometers in radius, that houses the decommissioned power plant, nuclear fuel storage, and nuclear waste facilities. On March 9, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Chernobyl power plant lost electricity and that the safe operation of the plant’s cooling system was in danger. Of greater concern is the safe and secure operation of Ukraine’s functioning power plants, like the one at Zaporizhzhia, the largest in Europe, which has been shelled and has been occupied by Russian troops since March 5. A few hours after the Russian invasion started, early on Feb. 24, the Russian military occupied the Chernobyl exclusion zone, some 30 kilometers in radius, that houses the decommissioned power plant, nuclear fuel storage, and nuclear waste facilities. On March 9, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Chernobyl power plant lost electricity and that the safe operation of the plant’s cooling system was in danger.