UN chief Antonio Guterres says Russia-occupied nuclear plant not be cut off from Ukraine's grid
Zaporizhzhia
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Friday (August 19) said that the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station not be cut off from Ukraine's grid.
During his crucial visit to the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine, the UN Secretary-General said, "Obviously, the electricity from Zaporizhzhia is Ukrainian electricity... This principle must be fully respected."
His statement comes after Ukraine reported that Russia was planning to switch off the functioning power blocks at the Zaporizhzhia plant. Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatomsaid on Friday that Russian forces are planning to disconnect them from the Ukrainian power grid.
The energy operator said: "There is information that Russian occupying troops are planning to shut off the reactors and switch them from the output lines of the Ukrainian energy system."
ALSO READ |Russia threatens to shut down Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, anticipates 'planned' disaster
Accusing Moscow, Ukraine claimed that Russia will soon cut electricity produced in Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. But Guterres said that the electricity generated at Zaporizhzhia belonged to Ukraine and demanded that the principle be "fully respected".
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Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located near the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. It has six of Ukraine's 15 reactors and it is capable of supplying power for four million homes.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of preparing "provocations" at the facility. Ukraine even claimed that Russia was shelling Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was captured by Russia in March but is still run by Ukrainian technicians.
ALSO READ |UN chief calls for demilitarization of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, says 'deeply concerned'
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The recent conflicts have renewed fears that the invasion could result in damage to nuclear reactors. It could trigger another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world's worst nuclear disaster.
Experts have claimed that if the nuclear plant blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chernobyl.
Guterres addressed those fears earlier this week in Lviv in western Ukraine saying that any damage to the plant would be akin to "suicide".
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