London. The recent escalation of bombings at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant has raised international security concerns. Ukrainian workers are operating such a large plant under strict control and stressful conditions. Russia and Ukraine continue to blame each other for the attacks and losses. Misinformation and fake news have played a major role in this conflict and so it is not known what the situation is.
For now, it seems unlikely that either party would want to seriously damage Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which could lead to a leak of radioactive material. Ukrainian personnel working at the plant claimed that Russia was deliberately targeting non-critical equipment. A deliberate attack on a nuclear plant would be in violation of international norms.
The plant is not like Chernobyl, the site of the world’s biggest nuclear disaster. Chernobyl was a nuclear reactor. Like Japan, it is also water-cooled, but contains a large amount of graphite for ‘neutron detection’. Neutron detection is essential for the operation of the reactor. When the Chernobyl reactor overheats, the water heats up and becomes less effective when it cools. However, graphite continually hunts down neutrons, activating the reactor’s power and causing the temperature to become uncontrollable.
As in reactors around the world in Japan, if a reactor overheats, both cooling and cooling are reduced and therefore the reactor’s power is reduced. Nuclear engineers consider this critical to the safe design of reactors. But if the nuclear material in the attack damages safety-critical equipment, the reactor could be destroyed. It releases large amounts of harmful nuclear material into the air, threatening to contaminate land and water supplies on a large scale.
The plant is surrounded by high-capacity buildings. They are designed to protect against explosions inside and outside the plant. However, modern plants are designed to protect against air attacks. Of greatest concern are cooling pools for outdoor fuels, where highly radioactive material accumulates in the water. Even if any of these are directly attacked, there is a possibility of spreading radioactive material in the atmosphere.
Safety equipment such as pumps and pipes are important even after a nuclear power plant is shut down. Three of the six reactors in Zaporizhia are still closed. Even after the fuel inside the reactor is turned off, it remains hot for many years. If it is not continuously cooled, it can overheat, producing explosive gases or causing a fire. This can lead to leakage of radioactive material.
Russia’s strategy Russian President Vladimir Putin may want to control the plant for a number of reasons. Russia could have cut energy supplies to Ukraine from this plant, but it was operating at low energy levels at the time of the attack and therefore may have had a limited effect. In addition, Russia can use it for political gains and for legitimate claims of occupation of the region. Various sources also suggest that Russia has deployed troops and equipment at this plant. Because of this, it can be used as a missile launch site, which Ukraine would not dare to respond.
The United Nations has recently encouraged the demilitarization of the plant, but Russia has claimed it would pose a major threat to the plant due to the perceived threat of nuclear terrorism. Despite all this, the violence around the plant must stop and the international community should be allowed to ratify it. Military operations around the plant should be stopped as soon as possible to protect people, the environment and infrastructure.
Read breaking news first in Hindi News18 Hindi | Read today’s latest news, live news updates, most trusted Hindi news website News18 Hindi |
tags: russia, Ukraine
First Published: August 20, 2022, 20:48 IST
