‘Zaporizhzhia nuke plant’s backup power line damaged by shelling’

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi (centre) observes the damage caused by shelling on the roof of the special building at the nuclear plant. Pic/AFP

Shelling on Tuesday damaged a backup power line at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, which has already lost all four of its regular power lines, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a statement on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no immediate impact from the damage to one of its three backup power lines because the plant was already disconnected from the grid. Like all nuclear power plants, Zaporizhzhia needs power to keep cooling the nuclear fuel in its reactors and its spent fuel. Its one operating reactor is supplying power but with each external power line that goes down, it loses a line of defence against potential nuclear meltdown.

"Of the three backup lines between the ZNPP and the thermal power station, one is now damaged by shelling, while the two others are disconnected, senior Ukrainian operating staff informed IAEA experts present at the plant since last week," the IAEA statement said, referring to a nearby coal-fired plant. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for shelling that has occurred close to the plant and within its perimeter, risking nuclear catastrophe.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced major new military aid worth more than $2 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. Blinken said the Biden administration would provide $2 billion in long-term military assistance to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbours, including NATO members and regional security partners "most potentially at risk for future Russian aggression." That's on top of a $675-million package of heavy weaponry, ammunition and armoured vehicles for Ukraine alone that Defense Secretary Llloyd Austin announced earlier Thursday.

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