For the second time in history, Zaporozhye NPP was completely disconnected from the power grid connecting the station with the Ukrainian power system. This was due to a fire caused by shelling. The statement was published by the Ukrainian Energoatom in the Telegram channel.
The text says that over the past three days, the Russian occupation forces have continued intensive shelling of the area around the station. The power lines 750 kV ZNPP – Dneprovskaya, 330 kV ZTES – Kakhovskaya and 330 kV ZTES – Melitopol were damaged and disconnected. The autotransformer (AT) of ZNPP 750/330 kV was also damaged.
“Today, September 5, 2022, due to a fire caused by shelling, the 330 kV ZTES-Ferrosplavnaya power transmission line was disconnected, which is the last line connecting ZNPP/ZTES-hub with the energy system of Ukraine! As a result, power unit No. 6, which currently provides for its own needs at ZNPP, was unloaded and disconnected from the grid.”
The representative of the Russian-appointed "administration" of the Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov, said on Telegram that the artillery strikes were allegedly inflicted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, the shells hit the special building of the station, the communication ceiling and the concrete fence.
For the first time in its history, the ZNPP was completely disconnected from the power grid on August 25, 2022.
Earlier, The Insider had at its disposal a video of the operation of Russian multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) from the territory of the ZNPP, it was filmed on the night of September 2-3. The footage shows that the MLRS are located in close proximity to the power unit. In addition, the military stores ammunition directly in the premises of the nuclear power plant, which, if detonated, can lead to a nuclear catastrophe. The Insider also wrote that the Russian military is constantly firing at power lines in order to disconnect the station from the Ukrainian power grid, hoping to then connect it to the Russian one. According to nuclear physicist Andrey Ozharovsky, connecting the station to the Crimea will require the restoration of power lines towards the peninsula and Russia and the synchronization of generators with the Russian power system.