Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant may be on fire

Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN)Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is held by Russian forces, was completely disconnected from the power grid for the first time in its history on Thursday, according to the country's nuclear operator.
The complex was disconnected Thursday due to fires at a nearby ash pits, causing the last remaining power line connecting to Ukraine's energy grid to disconnect twice, Energoatom said in a statement.
"The actions of the invaders caused a complete disconnection of the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant) from the power grid -- the first in the history of the plant," it wrote. 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/25/europe/ukraine-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-disconnected-intl/index.html

Yeah, it's not looking good at all. Other details on the disconnection from the grid:

NIKOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the middle of the fighting in Ukraine was temporarily cut off from the electrical grid because of fire damage. That caused a blackout in the region and heightened fears of a catastrophe in a country haunted by the Chernobyl disaster. The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war. The government in Kyiv alleges Russia is essentially holding the plant hostage, storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it. Moscow accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on it. On Thursday, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator said the plant was cut off from the grid after fires damaged a transmission line. The damaged line apparently carried outgoing electricity — and a Russian official said the region briefly lost power.

Update:

"KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities began distributing iodine tablets to residents near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Friday in case of a radiation leak, amid mounting fears that the fighting around the complex could trigger a catastrophe.

The move came a day after the plant was temporarily knocked offline because of what officials said was fire damage to a transmission line. The incident heightened dread of a nuclear disaster in a country still haunted by the 1986 explosion at Chernobyl.

Continued shelling was reported in the area overnight, and satellite images from Planet Labs showed fires burning around the complex — Europe’s biggest nuclear plant — over the last several days."

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-fires-united-nations-53aa80cf7b0741ac4d8ea635f23ca509

Update: Inspectors are on-site, said they are "not going anywhere"

"The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said that he will brief the U.N. Security Council next week following a site inspection of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Grossi, who led a team of 13 inspectors to the plant earlier in the week, told reporters in Vienna that he would also produce a report highlighting initial findings from the trip.

He told reporters that he saw everything that he was asked to see while at Zaporizhzhia and that the Russian military did not approach the inspectors during the visit."

The inspector-spokesperson gave a press release. Basically the situation is "meh" - meaning not good but okay. He emphasized that any further disruptions and/or shelling of the buildings or surrounding infra would be likely to change that assessment for the worse.

Also & only somewhat tangential: "France is going to restart 32 out of 56 of their "reliable 24-7" nuclear reactors have been shut most of the (record hot) summer, due to corrosion problems, "maintainence" [sic], and drought (they need water to cool themselves)."

The latest from the Ukraine Energy Secretary:
Герман Галущенко
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Just now, the majority of the IAEA mission left the ZAEES - and the station is depleted again. The last line connecting it with the energy system of Ukraine - LEP 330 kW ZATES - Ferosplavna - separated due to the fire that occurred as a result of shelling. Any repair of the lines are impossible now - there are combat operations around the station. The world is once again on the brink of nuclear disaster. De-occupying the UPP and creating a demilitarized zone around it is the only way to ensure nuclear security.

(from facebook: https://www.facebook.com/german.galushchenko/posts/pfbid025TBWcFP1iDZd1SfbNhkKVGw5j8bz6f3a8zXoAddgvsdJXazGCwivfJoF1B6GzdtCl )

However, AP is reporting a slightly different story that the line was deliberately disconnected to put out a fire from shelling and it will be reconnected once the cleanup is complete.

(from: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-donetsk-3b936a8f1c4d32bb118a5cd2dac264bb )