Now that the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, currently occupied by Russian troops, has been lost, Ukraine officials fear radiation could leak from the site.
However, U.S. officials and the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) said Tuesday that there is not yet a near-term risk of radiological disease or a “critical impact on safety.”
CBS News reported that authorities were concerned that a “radioactive cloud” could be released from the plant – which was the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – if cooling systems couldn’t be kept online.
Economic Truth, a Ukrayinska Pravda publication, recently interviewed Petro Kotin, of the state-owned energy company Energoatom.
“If this is not done, the heat that will accumulate there will melt the whole structure, go outside and get into the environment,” Kotin said of the need to cool the Chernobyl facilities, according to a translated version of the article. “In this way, radiation can enter people's bodies and irradiate them with radiation.”
He explained that pumps that supply water or fans that remove heat from the structure are needed to cool the nuclear material and reactions. If pumps lose power, the constant cooling process at Chernobyl stops.
While power has been lost at Chernobyl, there are diesel generators at the site, Kotin confirmed.
“The probability of a nuclear accident depends on whether you have enough of these generators to restore external power,” he said.
As of Wednesday, he estimated that cooling can work normally for around seven days without serious consequences.
“After that, the water in the cooling system will gradually start to heat up and the temperature will rise,” he said. “If not cooled at all, it will reach critical values in seven days.”
Since the diesel generators provide stable cooling, he said safety will depend on whether there is enough fuel to keep them working. Fuel for the generators is estimated to last around 10 days, said Economic Truth.
“Diesel generators are now operating normally and the threat is being removed,” said Kotin. Finding another power source could also get the situation under control, he said.
According to Kotin, two out of the four power lines are also out at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine, which was attacked Thursday by Russian troops. It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Another issue related to nuclear power in Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian forces is overworked staff at Chernobyl.
A Tuesday statement from the IAEA said 210 technical personnel and guards had been living and working at the site since the Russians occupied it around two weeks ago.
“The same shift has been on duty at the Chornobyl NPP since the day before the Russian military entered the site,” said the IAEA. Director General Grossi of the IAEA has stressed that nuclear power plant staff “must be able to rest and work in regular shifts,” as it is “crucial for overall nuclear safety.”
In a tweet Wednesday, the IAEA said said it saw “no critical impact to safety” at Chenobyl due to the power loss.
Secretary Jennifer Granholm of the U.S. Department of Energy said she agreed with the assessment.
If radiation does leak out, symptoms of radiation sickness can include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever, dizziness and disorientation, weakness and fatigue, hair loss, bloody vomit and stools from internal bleeding, infections and low blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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