Severe power cuts in Ukraine: blackouts may have been caused by a nuclear power plant accident
18 July 2024 19:25
In recent days, several transformers have burned down at Ukrainian nuclear power plants due to the heat, which has exacerbated the problem of power outages. This was announced by the director of the Energy Research Centre, Oleksandr Kharchenko, on his Facebook page, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
He wrote that two days ago (16 July – ed.), two current transformers physically burned down at the South Ukrainian NPP, apparently due to the heat (whether there was a violation of the equipment’s operating modes and temperature monitoring is to be determined by an internal investigation). This led to the disconnection of several reactors from the grid.
“It is because of this purely technical accident that the left bank of Ukraine – including Dnipro, Sumy and further down the list – has been extremely severely limited in electricity supply for the last two days,” Kharchenko explained.
And today, on 18 July, another power transformer burned down at the same South Ukrainian NPP. This further worsened the situation with electricity in Ukraine.
“I have been informed that another power transformer burned down for the same reasons at the same South Ukrainian NPP and, according to unverified data, another one at the Chernobyl NPP (I would still conduct an internal investigation and involve the SBU just in case). The situation has become even more complicated,” elaborated the director of the Energy Research Centre.
