Ukraine nuclear plants lower power levels twice in two weeks, IAEA says

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement Nov. 28 that Ukraine’s three operating nuclear power plants reduced electricity due to military activity targeting the country’s energy infrastructure.

“Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is extremely fragile and vulnerable, putting nuclear safety at great risk,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a statement. “Once again, I call for maximum military restraint in areas with major nuclear energy facilities and other sites on which they depend.”

The Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine nuclear power plants lowered their power levels for the second time in less than two weeks as military activity that “further endangered nuclear safety during the military conflict” — referring to the conflict that began in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — continued, the statement said.

There were no reports of direct damage to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, but substations that provide external electricity to the plants were affected. The nine reactors still functioning reduced output, while one reactor from Rivne was disconnected from the power grid.

The nuclear power plants use their connections to the electric grid to transmit electricity produced and receive power for reactor cooling from off-site power generation. The three sites still received external electricity, even though the Khmelnytskyy site lost connection to two of its power lines.