Zaporizhzhya power plant in Ukraine: Arrangements in the event of a total loss of external power supplies
IRSN publishes a new information report providing details of the arrangements planned in the event of a total loss of external supplies at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
The plant is currently connected to the Ukrainian electricity grid by two of the four 750 kV lines available. Two lines are currently unavailable due to the fighting; a third one was temporarily unavailable but was repaired on the evening of March 18, 2022. The power plant is also connected to the Ukrainian 330 kV grid, to which the Zaporizhzhya thermal power plant and the Dnipro and Kakhovka hydroelectric power plants are connected nearby. This 330 kV line is currently available.
The Zaporizhzhya NPP provides electricity to the Ukrainian power grid but when its reactors are shut down, the Ukrainian power grid provides power for its monitoring and backup systems. The availability of these external power supplies is therefore an important issue for ensuring the safety of the reactors.
On the basis of the information available to IRSN, the resources planned for the Zaporizhzhya power plant would enable the site teams, in the event of failure of the islanding transient, to cope with a situation of total loss of external power supplies for a period of at least 10 days. This conclusion is subject to the reliability of the equipment implemented, their initial fuel supply, the availability of crews and the absence of other factors that could aggravate the situation.
Download IRSN information report from March 22, 2022: Arrangements in the event of a total loss of external power supplies of the Zaporizhzhya power plant in Ukraine