Happy Friday, nuke-watchers. Before we head off into the weekend, here are some other stories that RadWaste Monitor was tracking this week.
While disconnected from grid, shelling causes further damage at Zaporizhzhia plant
Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant has sustained more damage amid ongoing hostilities between the Ukrainian military and invading Russian forces, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog reported this week.
Shelling at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has damaged a backup power line and a thermal power station on-site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report published Wednesday. These incidents “further underlin[e] significant nuclear safety risks at the facility,” the agency said.
The shelling damage, which reportedly occurred Tuesday, did not have an immediate effect on Zaporizhzhia’s operations, since the plant had been disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid on Monday while plant workers battled a fire on another reserve power line, IAEA said.
IAEA staff, led by director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi, visited Zaporizhzhia last week. The agency reported at the time that, despite the damage, all safety systems remain in place and there has been no increase in radiation on-site.
Russian forces, which invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in early March. Ukrainian operators have since been allowed to continue work at the facility.
Huff talks nuclear fuel at World Nuclear Symposium
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff flew across the pond this week to talk nuclear fuel supply at a conference hosted by an international nuclear energy trade group.
Huff, who spoke Thursday at the World Nuclear Association’s World Nuclear Symposium in London, said in a Tweet that she was “honored” to make an appearance and to “connect with U.S. industry partners.”
“Honored to speak at today’s @WorldNuclear Symposium and connect with U.S. industry partners. This is a transformative time for nuclear energy and we need to keep the momentum building. Net-zero can’t happen without the world’s 2nd largest source of clean power!” – Katy Huff pic.twitter.com/3etKwBUKKH
— Office of Nuclear Energy (@GovNuclear) September 8, 2022
“This is a transformative time for nuclear energy and we need to keep the momentum building,” Huff said. “Net-zero can’t happen without the world’s 2nd largest source of clean power!”
The London-based World Nuclear Association, founded in 2001, aims to promote nuclear power worldwide and support the nuclear energy industry. The organization has 181 members from across 44 countries.
