Communication with Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia NPP limited, regulator says

Mobile phone communications and internet access at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in Ukraine have been restricted after Russian military forces captured the site on Friday.

As all operations at Europe’s largest NPP are under Russian control, reliable information from the site is not available through the normal channels of communication, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said in a notification to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday. The regulator pointed out that the presence of armed forces within the Zaporizhzhia NPP creates psychological pressure on both its personnel and the public and highlighted problems with foodstuff availability and supply.

According to the statement issued on Sunday, some mobile networks can still be reached at the site but with poor signal quality.

“All this has a negative impact on the morale state of the plant personnel, and significantly affects the NPP nuclear and radiation safety,” the regulator said.

Currently, Unit 1 of Zaporizhzhia NPP is in planned maintenance until mid-2022, Unit 2 operates at full capacity and Units 3 and 6 are in cold shutdown. Unit 4 is operating at near full capacity, and Unit 5 is cooling down.

The radiation situation remains normal.

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