Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has lost electricity supply, cutting off power to the systems that cool spent nuclear fuel. While this raises concerns, experts say the risk of a meltdown is currently low due to the age of the stored fuel. The outage is a consequence of recent Russian military strikes on Ukrainian electrical infrastructure, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Cooling Systems Offline
The plant’s spent fuel pools require continuous cooling to prevent overheating. Nuclear fuel continues to emit radiation and heat for years after removal from reactors, and without active cooling, water temperatures in the storage ponds will rise, increasing evaporation. Failure to manage this heat could eventually lead to fuel damage and the release of radioactive materials.
Why Older Fuel Poses Less Risk
However, the fuel stored at Chernobyl is older and has already undergone significant radioactive decay. This means it generates less heat than recently spent fuel. According to Paul Cosgrove of the University of Cambridge, “The fuel has been sat in there for 20 years, so it will have decayed. More and more of that energy will be gone.” The situation is less critical than in 2022, when similar power outages occurred.
Russia’s Targeting of Ukrainian Infrastructure
The loss of power at Chernobyl is part of a broader pattern of Russian actions that jeopardize nuclear safety in Ukraine. These include the occupation of Chernobyl in the early stages of the war, the ongoing control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and direct attacks on nuclear facilities. In February of last year, a drone strike damaged the New Safe Confinement structure built over the ruins of Chernobyl’s reactor 4.
The IAEA is monitoring the situation closely, but the incident underscores the vulnerability of nuclear sites in conflict zones. The disruption of cooling systems, even temporarily, highlights the need for robust safety protocols and international oversight.
The power outage at Chernobyl is a reminder that, while the immediate risk is contained, sustained attacks on critical infrastructure could escalate the threat in the future.
