A report on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is scheduled to be released by the United Nations’ nuclear inspector on Tuesday. This comes a day after shelling caused the facility’s energy supply to be shut off for the second time in two weeks, which sparked worries of a disaster.
Shelling at Europe’s biggest nuclear facility, which authorities claimed cut electricity lines on Monday and brought the last surviving reactor offline, has been blamed on both Russia and Ukraine, who have accused one other of putting the world in danger by their actions.
As Ukrainian troops intensified their counter-attacks in the south and east, they raised the national flag above a town in Kherson province, which is a southern area that has been seized by Russia since the beginning of the conflict. This fresh fear over the plant came up at the same time.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information that was supplied by Ukraine, stated that the plant’s backup power line had been cut in order to put out a fire, but that the line itself had not been damaged and would be reconnected. This information was cited in the IAEA’s statement.
The nuclear watchdog of the United Nations said that the plant had an enough amount of energy to function in a secure manner and that it will be reconnected to the grid as soon as the backup power was repaired.
The presence of the IAEA at the facility was cut from six staff members on Monday to only two staff members today. The IAEA has said that its director general, Rafael Grossi, would release a report on Ukraine on Tuesday, which will include information on the facility. Grossi will subsequently brief the United Nations Security Council.
On Monday, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, issued a warning that a “radiation disaster” was on the verge of occurring and said that the shelling demonstrated that Russia “does not care what the IAEA will say.”
Since Russian soldiers entered Ukraine on February 24, and as the military war drags on, the fate of the nuclear facility has become a new element in a struggle between Russia and the West over energy. This battle is taking place between Russia and the West.
On Monday, European gas prices skyrocketed as a result of Russia’s decShellingision to keep its major gas pipeline to Germany closed. This has caused consumers and companies throughout the continent to be concerned about the next winter season.
Russia has halted the flow of gas via Nord Stream 1, its primary pipeline to Germany, citing disruptions to equipment repairs and maintenance as the reason for the move. Russia blames these disruptions on western sanctions. The pipeline was scheduled to reopen in Russia on Saturday, but Russia now claims that an oil spill has caused the pipeline to remain down indefinitely.
Vitaly Markelov, the deputy chief executive officer of the pipeline operator Gazprom, said on Tuesday to Reuters that Nord Stream 1 would not begin exports until Siemens Energy rectified problematic equipment.
Siemens Energy said on Saturday that it had not been commissioned to carry out repairs and that the leak that was reported by Gazprom would not normally impair the functioning of the pipeline. The leak was reported by Gazprom.
The United States of America and Europe are working together to secure energy supply while accusing Russia of using energy as a weapon.
Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov told reporters on Tuesday at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok that Moscow will react to planned price limitations on Russian oil by increasing the amount of supply sent to Asia. The forum was held in Vladivostok.
On Monday, the Kremlin issued a warning to the West that it will respond in response to the Group of Seven finance ministers’ decision last week to place a ceiling on the amount of pressure that might be applied to Russia as a result of its actions in Ukraine.
