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Casualty

by Cat Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 04:30:14 PM EST

MK.ru.translate.goog | The United States supported the shutdown of the reactors of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, 29 Aug 2022

John Kirby, the coordinator of the US National Security Council for strategic communications, said that Washington is in favor of shutting down the reactors at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

"We continue to believe that a controlled shutdown of the reactors at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant will be the safest and least risky solution," he said.

He is also stressed that the United States fully supports the IAEA mission, which should arrive at the station in the coming days. Kirby added that the US believes a demilitarized zone should be established around the station.
What is the basis of this report? I wondered. More Kremlin "disinformation"? Or quotes taken "out of context" from dated NSA intelligence, perhaps engrossed by a G7 position non-paper supporting a "demilitarized zone" around Europe's largest nuclear power plant? Does enemy journalism acurately quote Kirby's remarks on 29 Aug. on the occasion of IAEA inspectors' actual departure for Zaporizh*--despite Ukraine's unconditional terms?

In any case, I decided, this is a surprising departure from US-led NATO mission statements to defend Ukrainian and EU integrity at any cost.

My search for truth follows below.

KEYWORDS: "August 29, 2022 NSC briefing", ""August 29, 2022 NSA briefing"

National Security Council: The last press release published for Jake Sullivan is 13 July 2021, "Remarks by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Global Emerging Technology Summit"

C-SPAN: The last recorded NSA briefing featuring John Kirby is in 4 Aug 2022 White House Daily Briefing

GOOGLE: appended "John Kirby" returned a C-SPAN recording, 29 Aug 2022 White House Daily Briefing, A/V recording abruptly cut to @00:24:37

KEYWORDS: "August 29, 2022 US Supports The IAEA Mission To Nuclear Power Plant" returned ...
BING: returned a chronological list of relevant press articles, mounted by so-called publishers of record that I presumed rented seats for every White House press conference.

NY Yella Cake:  "U.N. experts head to the Zaporizhzhia facility on a risky mission after weeks of talks"

Both Russia and Ukraine welcomed the announcement by the I.A.E.A. director general, Rafael M. Grossi, even as they repeated accusations that the other side was responsible for the shelling.
in Ukraine Announces Push in South; U.N. Inspectors Head to Nuclear Site, 29 Aug, updated 30 Aug, 2022, 9:52 a.m
"Anyone want to know what our plans are?" President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. "You won't hear specifics from any truly responsible person. Because this is war. And this is what it is during the war."
WaPoo: Why Ukraine's Big Nuclear Plant Raises Worries Again, 29 Aug, "analysis by Patrick Donahue, Bloomberg" is a pastiche of Chernobyl (1986) and Zaporizh* NPP service records and vestigial US State Dept. and Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes.
2. What are Russia's objectives?
A nuclear plant is valuable war booty. The complex would cost more than $40 billion to build today. Though power is still flowing to Ukrainian consumers, according to grid operator Ukrenergo, Russian engineers have been laying plans to connect the plant to Russia's power grid and to charge the Ukraine government for whatever output would remain for Ukraine. In addition, European intelligence officials say that Russia is likely using the plant to shield troops and equipment, anticipating that the facility's sensitivity protects it from major attacks. Russia has used the wider area to rest its forces at night and has launched long-range artillery attacks from adjacent regions, the officials said. Ukraine has circulated photographs showing Russian armored personnel carriers near Zaporizhzhia's critical infrastructure.
[...]
5. What interest do the two sides have in stressing the dangers?
The US-based Institute for the Study of War has said Moscow appears to be playing on fears of a nuclear disaster among allies of Ukraine in an effort to degrade their support for the country. For their part, Ukrainian authorities have been eager to leverage nuclear anxieties to press their demand that Russian troops leave. In an address warning of the threat to Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, "The key thing is that international pressure is needed to force the occupiers to immediately withdraw."
yahoo! Finance: National Security Council Press Briefing, 29 Aug 2022 audio recording which at least  corroborates John Kirby's participation, flagged by an anonymous *.ru informant, in one confirmed public event. (Here, absence of David SANGER by-line, absence of US comment in NYT and WaPoo feature stories of the day ultimately appears an auspicious key to dissembling  "media literacy" among US Americans and NATO allies.) Following is my  transcript.
WH PRESS SEC, JEAN-PIERRE?: [@00:06:20] Let's go to David Sanger at the New York Times.
SANGER: Thanks, John. A quick question back on the nuclear power plant. You were discussing in the beginning. [N.B. SESSION BEGINS in medias res RESPONSE TO US NAVY PORT AT SOLOMON ISLANDS QUESTION @00:00:00] Does the US have any clarity on whether all of the all of the shells that are falling around the plant are in fact from Russia? Or whether we believe some may be shot off by the Ukrainians? Second, tell us how you analyze Putin's strategy in taking the plant hostage. Is he essentially trying to get many of the benefits of threatening a nuclear weapon by threatening the disaster at the power plant. Do you see this as a fundamentally different from what he was doing earlier in the war, when he was explicitly threatening he might have to use nuclear weapons?
JOHN KIRBY, NSA PRESS SEC: Those are great questions, David. On the shells, we don't have a way of counting shells or accounting for artillery fire around the plant. We've been very clear publicly, quite frankly, privately, that the fighting around the plant should stop. Period. We do know, while we can't count shells for you, we do know that Russia has essentially militarized the power plant by stationing forces there including weapons. And so we know, they are firing from around the plant. But exactly, you know, what the exchange is on any given day, it would be impossible for us to know that. We, again, [have] been clear that the fighting around the plant should stop. A nuclear power plant is no place to be in the vicinity of combat.

On your second quesion, to answer it completely accurately would require knowing exactly what Mr Putin has in mind, and that's difficult for us to ascertain on any day, particularly on any issue with respect to Ukraine. But we can piece together some things based on their activities and their actions. At the very least, we ascertain that by holding that plant he can hold Ukraine hostage with respect to their own electrical power capability. He can, as you know, the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant basically controls all the electrical power for much of southern Ukraine and even beyond. So he can hold that power hostage. He could also, um, he could actually, potentially, use some of that power uh uh to um transport, to be able to use, that power inside Russia if he wanted to. So he could benefit inside Russia as well. And again, it is essentially in keeping with his broader, over all strategic outcomes--which we do not ascertain have changed--which is in fact to take away Ukraine's sovereignty, replace their government, their democratically elected government, to one of his liking. We have enough ample information, public statements, from the Kremlin that their over all maximalist goals haven't changed. So having possession of one of the largest nuclear plants in Europe, certainly in Ukraine, is in keeping with this broader desire by Putin to exert control over Ukraine and over Ukraine's sovereignty. ###
Dissatisfied with contradictory representations of US-IAEA collaboration thus far and intrigued by persistent if cryptic references in Russian MSM coverage of the IAEA landing, I gathered bread crumbs for another 12 hours until I was finally rewarded with a pointer to another anonymous DOD "background briefing." Readers may recall the last one noted here.
US DOD | Senior Defense Official and Senior Military Official Hold a Background Briefing, 29 Aug
STAFF: Let's go to Barb Starr, CNN.
Barbara, are you there?
[STARR] Q: Yes. Thank you. Can you -- can you tell us if there is any U.S. role in helping keep the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant safe as it gets compromised? That's not a hypothetical question. I want to know if there is any U.S. role regarding that plant? And, secondly, can you tell us -- there are reports that U.S. officials believe U.S. weapon stocks in some cases are now quote "uncomfortably low." As [omitted], I can only imagine you have some detailed insight to the state of U.S. weapon stocks. What is that right now? Are weapon stocks for the U.S. low and in what instances is that happening?
SENIOR MILITARY OFFICIAL: Barbara, I'll answer the last question there, and then I'll pass it back to [omitted] on the nuclear power plant piece.
[...]
SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL: Sure. Barbara, the focus for us on the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant is on urging Russia to vacate the power plant and allow the Ukrainians to operate it in peace. So our focus is on pressing the Russians to cease military operations in the area. In terms of the actual functioning of the plant, we're very intent on ensuring that the IAEA can send its team into the plant and ensure the safety of those plant operations. We know that those Ukrainian plant operators are doing the best they can under very trying circumstances. And we've seen reports of how the Russians have been pressuring them and harassing them and we applaud their efforts to maintain that safety. But we really need IAEA to be granted access.

We believe that the safest outcome would be a controlled shutdown of the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant reactors, that this would be the least risky course of action in the near term. That said, we also have U.S. scientists that are monitoring radiation sensor data at the power plant and we have seen no indications of increased or abnormal radiation levels so far.

So. *.ru reporting is not exact but true, and trusted US sources are neither. Where does that leave EU "partnership" in NATO existential flights from dependence on Russian energy toward dependence on US "intelligence"? John Kirby equivocated on the matter, too. Did you catch it?

Display:
Casualty | 79 comments (79 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Casualty (none / 1)
WH PRESS SEC, JEAN-PIERRE?: [@00:19:42] Aurelia, are you able to say yourself?
AURELIA END [AFP]: Can you hear me now? OK, thank you so much for taking my question. My question is about EU energy situation. We're hearing a bunch of European leaders sounding the alarm about the up-coming winter. The EU is going to hold emergency energy talks next week. So I was wondering, how concerned is the White House about this, and is there more the United States can do? And maybe on a broader scale do you feel this could undermine the popular and politic support for Ukraine in Europe?
JOHN KIRBY: Well, each European nation really has to speak for themselves with respect to what everver energy shortages in the fall and winter might have on their support for it. All I can tell you, is what we see from a diplomatic perspective, what we see on the economic fund, frankly, what we see on the security assistance front, um is an impressive, absolutely unchanged sense of resolve and unit of support for Ukraine. But every nation's going to have to speak for that, for themselves.

Well, yes, we're concerned about the manner in which Mr Putin has weaponized energy. Yes, we're concerned about energy, potential energy shortages in Europe as the winter approaches. That's why the president stood up for a task force to try to improve and expand sources of uh energy for the European continent. And while we continue to work with distributors and energy companies around the world to try to alleviate whatever shortages might be in place, might be coming going forward. And this is something we're staying focused on as the fall turns to winter, and we'll be latched up with allies and partners throughout to try to do what we can to alleviate any shortages. But, again, in terms of unity and resolve, we've just seen nothing but determination to continue to support Ukraine. I think everybody understands what the stakes are here. ###


by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 05:49:15 PM EST
Europe: Casualty (none / 1)
RF presses note with interest.

WaPoo | White House alarm rises over Europe as Putin threatens energy supply, 11 Sep trolling

aides to President Biden have in recent days reviewed their efforts to export liquefied natural gas to Europe, aiming to see if there's any way for American producers to help.
AURELIA END [AFP]: Can you hear me now? OK, thank you so much for taking my question....
The escalating pressure from Russia could put new strains on a U.S.-Europe alliance that has proven surprisingly resilient since the start of the war, while also threatening to cloud the Biden administration's recent economic VICTORIES ahead of the mid[-]term elections this fall.
archive Joe Tzu energy independence quarter
The outlook in Europe has deteriorated with SRUPRISING speed in recent weeks. The European Central Bank raised interest rates by .75 points this past week, with officials saying they expected a "substantial slowdown" there this fall. Some European governments are resisting attempts to set a price cap on [RUSSIAN] natural gas for fear of provoking PUTIN, and it's not clear that [G7] international [racketeering] could withstand a truly dire energy crisis.
so sad, too bad
One senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect internal assessments, said the Treasury Department and Council of Economic Advisers estimate that the impact on the U.S. from a European recession would probably be "modest and manageable." Trade with Europe accounts for less than 1 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, and many economists agree a decline in European consumer demand probably would not substantially affect U.S. firms. America also produces enough of its own natural gas not to be significantly affected by Russia restricting its flow into Europe.
archived U.S. LNG exports into Europe increased by 2240%
If Russia keeps selling oil to world markets and only reduces gas exports to Europe, the effect on the U.S. economy probably would be minimal. In fact, that could help U.S. firms that produce natural gas. It could also sap global demand, further alleviating domestic price pressures.
wut
"If Europe goes into recession, there's obviously less demand for a wide range of products," said [progressives' darling] Dean Baker [!], an economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a liberal think tank. "We're in such a perverse situation here it may actually be positive."

U.S. options for helping Europe through its energy crunch may be limited....

KIRBY: Well, each European nation really has to speak for themselves.
by Cat on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 01:30:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Europe: Casualty (none / 0)
Well, each European nation really has to speak for themselves.  😂

Unity, solidarity of NATO in facing off with an evil Putin. Energy costs for Europe €2 trillion ... add cost to rebuild the #Ukraine 🇺🇦... Joe did it, reaping benefits fossil fuel corporations and Europe needs advanced weapons for their defense ... eternally grateful ... Pentagon, Five Eyes. UK and EU-27 united in policy. Long live King Charles III.

#EUdeathtrap #Blitzkrieg #MerkelGone #MAGA #capitalism #SocialDemocracy = #Communism

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 01:48:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Jeff & Wally (none / 0)
[...]
For now, however, Treasury officials are publicly < eyebrows > adamant that Putin will not follow through with that threat. They also note that Europe had been planning to implement a full embargo [sic] on Russian oil, and that the price cap presents an opportunity for the Kremlin to continue to supply world markets.

"Russia may bluster and say they won't sell below the capped price, but the economics of holding back oil embargo just don't make sense," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said Friday.

By Jeff Stein
Jeff Stein is the White House economics reporter for The Washington Post. He was a crime reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and, in 2014, founded the local news nonprofit the Ithaca Voice in Upstate New York. He was also a reporter for Vox.

Laurel&Hardy, Abbott&Costello, Ren&Stimpy know who's on first, what's on second.
by Cat on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 10:55:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Europe: Casualty (none / 1)
yahoo! oilprice | Record U.S. LNG Exports To Europe May Not Last, 9/11 "Nordstrom"
When President Joe Biden promised the European Union there would be enough natural gas for its winter, EU politicians rejoiced and doubled down on Russian sanctions. A few months later, EU gas storage is full ahead of schedule.
Taiwan "tensions"
Meanwhile, however, LNG prices have soared like an eagle, China is re-selling Russian LNG to Europe, and gas prices in the U.S. are three times higher now than they were a decade ago and up 95 percent on the futures market for November 2022 to March 2023.
[...]
Then there is the price issue. Right now, U.S. LNG is competitive because of the insane curve the European gas futures market has been following as [The Turbine emotional support] squeezed Nord Stream 1 shipments in response to sanctions. But this does not mean U.S. LNG is cheap.
Mommy. What is "perfect competition"?
Above my pay-grade or under my price cap, Sugarpuff. You be the judge. But don't be judgmental.
Now, there is another price issue in the home of U.S. LNG....investment firm Goehring & Rozencwajg forecast that U.S. natural gas prices were about to take off after European ones before too long.

The reasons for the surge were overall [is a garment; over all is a preposition and its object] tight gas supply and U.S. producers' new central role as biggest suppliers to Europe. Also, Goehring & Rozencwajg predicted U.S. gas production was nearing a plateau.

archived Granholm imploring seven major refiners to limit fuel exports
What this means is that the [US] governors asked Washington to reduce exports and redirect some LNG to local consumers.

Granholm's answer to the governor, per the FT [!], was to say ...there were not going to be any "blanket waivers" from the Jones Act that effectively restrict transport between U.S. ports to only vessels that are U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, and U.S-crewed. In other words, no foreign-flagged vessel could load LNG in Texas and ship it to Maine, which limits New England's options.
[...]
For now, there are no indications that the administration is prepared to pressure LNG exporters into keeping more of their gas at home, not least because exports are already constrained by the Freeport LNG outage.< wipes tears >

archived Step 3. SUCKERS!
by Cat on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 01:27:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) (none / 1)
"We believe that the safest outcome would be a controlled shutdown of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant reactors, that this would be the least risky course of action in the near term."

See articles ...

USA considers controlled shutdown of ZNPP units to be safest outcome | Interfax Ukraine |

U.S. Calls For 'Controlled Shutdown' Of Zaporizhzhya Plant As IAEA Inspectors Seek Access | RFERL |

Appears to be goal of the UA and US military strategy.

The nuclear plant is located along the Dnieper river in Oblast Zaporizhzhya, not in the large city by that name. The town where the nuclear reactors are located is Enerhodar.

Nuclear Power in a More Dangerous World

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 05:58:39 PM EST
Re: Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 05:59:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 06:00:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 06:01:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) (none / 0)
Ukraine: EU donates 5 million potassium iodide tablets to protect Ukrainians from potential radiation exposure

On 26 August, the EU received a request for potassium iodide tablets from the Government of Ukraine as a preventative safety measure to increase the level of protection around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The potassium iodide tablets would be used in limited scenarios to avoid that inhaled or swallowed radioactive iodine is absorbed by the thyroid.

In response, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre swiftly mobilised 5.5 million potassium iodide tablets ...



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 06:01:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
RFERL (none / 1)
It was not immediately clear if the team would be allowed access to the nuclear site by occupying Russian forces.
This statement is incorrect.

Let's recap. The RF captured the Chernobyl NPP 24 Feb (while all 5 Eyes were on Ki*v). No Ukrainian NPP employees were injured or relieved of their duties. The RF transferred maintence of the decomissioned plant to Ukraine by 31 Mar. The RF captured the Zaporizh* NPP 4 Mar (while all 5 Eyes were on BUCHA!). IAEA published Chernobyl inspection in end of April without fanfare.  

Zaporizh* was generating power until 25 Aug, when Ukrainan engineers disconnected the plant from the regional grid. The RF requested Zaporizh* inspection in June and has since delivered packages to Grossi et al. of what they believe to be documentary evidence of Ukraine (misguided) artillery fire into the plant and surrounding residential area under RF missile-defense systems.

And not to put too fine a point on that RFERL's studied ignorance, DOD's anonymous SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL admitted (above)

we also have U.S. scientists that are monitoring radiation sensor data at the power plant
by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 06:34:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: RFERL (none / 0)
RFERL America's Voice In the World ... of course pure propaganda.

'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 06:40:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
omg: RFERL (none / 0)
a PAKISTAN affiliate recently turned up in my radar. FFS!
by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 08:16:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: RFERL (none / 0)
AP of VOA -- leak
9 Aug Ukrainian resistance[/ guerillas/Special Ops] grows in Russian-occupied areas
"'We are giving the Ukrainian military precise coordinates for various targets, and the guerrillas' assistance makes the new long-range weapons, particularly HIMARS, even more powerful," Andriy told the AP. "We are invisible behind the Russian lines, and this is our strength.'"

Rwanda, DR Congo, Syria, Libya, Pakistan, Myanmar, HK SAR, Ukraine: NED "political literacy"
US Proxy War Against China Rages in Myanmar, A/V (EN) running time 00:21:25

by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 11:14:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
31 Aug RFERL: wurlitzer (none / 0)
UN Nuclear Inspectors Arrive In Zaporizhzhya Ahead Of Mission [sic] To Russian-Held Plant
• Grossi said inspectors were likely to reach the nuclear complex on September 1 and the initial inspection should last "a few days," but he hopes to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine

• the Russian-installed officials in Enerhodar[Energodar], the town where the plant is[], said the IAEA team could stay anywhere from one to eight days.

• [Ukrainian] Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed [governor] of Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizh* region, told Interfax that the IAEA inspectors "must [sic] see the work of the station in one day."

• Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's representative to international organizations JCPOA negotiation in Vienna, welcomed the possibility that IAEA experts could stay at the plant on a permanent basis.

Shelling dangerously close to the reactors, exhausted workers held at gunpoint, and disconnections have intensified fears of a Chernobyl-style disaster that could spread radioactivity far and wide.
[...]
The United States this week said a "controlled shutdown" of Zaporizh* is the "safest option" and urged Moscow to agree to a demilitarized zone around the site, echoing an earlier call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
yahoo! Ukrayinska Pravda | Russian occupiers give IAEA 1 day to complete Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant inspection as its mission sets out from Kyiv to Zaporizh*
quoting RFERL

yahoo! Ukrayinska Pravda | Occupiers ostentatiously capture "Ukrainian terrorists" on eve of IAEA mission arrival at Zaporozh* Nuclear Power Plant
"A soldier is seen leisurely approaching a person who is lying face down and shows no resistance, and starts hitting their lumbar spine (or pretending to do so)."

by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 11:54:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]
SIDEBAR Cyprus Mail reveals all. sort of (none / 0)
UN inspectors near Ukrainian nuclear plant on mission to avert an accident (Wrapup)
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team reached the city 55 km (34 miles) away from the plant, where they were likely to spend the night before arriving at the facility on Thursday.
[...]
"If we are able to establish a permanent presence, or a continued presence, then it's going to be prolonged. But this first segment is going to take a few days," its chief, Rafael Grossi, told reporters in Zaporizh*. "It's a mission that seeks to prevent a nuclear accident," he said.
[...]
Russia has said it has no intention of withdrawing its forces for now.

Asked about a demilitarised zone, IAEA's Grossi said this was a political matter for the countries engaged in the conflict.

Russia had said it welcomed the IAEA's stated intention to set up a permanent mission at the plant.

But Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the Russian-installed administration in the area, told the Interfax news agency the IAEA inspectors ["'They are supposed to look at the plant's operation in one day' ... the plan is for the delegation to enter the territory controlled by Russia through Vasilyevka near the contact line and immediately go to Ener*odar, and it is supposed to leave by the evening of the same day, before dark"].

by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:09:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
SIDEBAR lingering palace intrigue (none / 0)
Energy Intelligence | IAEA: Ukraine Puts Grossi in the Firing Line Over Davos Statements, 3 June
Ukraine State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) criticism, Grossi's professional ambition, "odious lies of Russian propaganda are being broadcast at a high level by a top IAEA official"
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 02:48:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Casualty (none / 0)
Maybe Mr Sanger was switching between WH and DOD Zoom rooms?
by Cat on Wed Aug 31st, 2022 at 05:59:54 PM EST
IAEA Visit Zaporozhye Power Plant (none / 1)



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 10:12:39 AM EST
Re: IAEA Visit Zaporozhye Power Plant (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 10:13:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
TASS - mystery dates solved! (none / 0)
A UN official familiar with knowledge of the details told TASS on Tuesday that the mission led by Grossi includes representatives from ten countries: Albania, China, France, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, and North Macedonia. The UN official explained that representatives of Russia and Ukraine were not included in the mission to ensure its neutrality and impartiality....
archived RIA Novosti | NYT: IAEA formed a mission "mostly neutral" mistinformation
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 01:12:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: TASS - mystery dates solved! (none / 1)
🤣 Lithuania, Poland are frontline states of NATO aggression.

'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 03:10:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
indispensible A/V comment! (none / 0)
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:37:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]
British Landing Party to Welcome IAEA Grossi Team? (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:47:52 PM EST
British Landing Party to Welcome IAEA Grossi Team? (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:48:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
British Landing Party to Welcome IAEA Grossi Team? (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:49:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Haven't Viewed Russian Propaganda for Months Now (none / 0)
😂



'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:50:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
British Landing Party to Welcome IAEA Grossi Team? (none / 0)


'Sapere aude'
by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 12:53:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Guardian LIVE! woulda, coulda, shoulda, (none / 0)
"supposed to" and "must"


IAEA team arrive at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after shelling delay, UK edition 13.43

... Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Ener*odar, posted pictures of damaged buildings with smoke spiralling above them on the Telegram messaging app, saying Russian troops had been "shelling since dawn" with mortars, rockets and automatic weapons.

Energoatom said the city had come under fire from the air. "A group of Russian K-52 attack helicopters worked over the city, striking residential areas," it said, adding that one mortar attack struck "in the immediate vicinity" of the plant.

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensk*'s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, accused Moscow of trying to wreck the inspection, saying Russia was acting like a terrorist state. "It is Russia that is responsible for everything happening at the plant and in Ener*odar," he said.

The presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted that Russia was conducting "demonstrative strikes" in Ener*odar in order to blame Ukraine for them, saying this showed the extent of Moscow's "real 'interest' in the inspection"....



The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was able to look at the "key things" he needed to see while visiting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant today, Russian media have reported., US edition 16.31
The UN nuclear agency's mission was able to gather "a lot" of information in a few hours, Grossi told reporters in a video released by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti [!].

Grossi said: We were able, in these few hours, to gather a lot, a lot of information. The key things I needed to see, I saw.

Grossi left the plant following the visit, the Russian news agency reported.

CNN | IAEA inspectors arrive at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid shelling, 1 Sep updated 10:48 AM ET
[winding Dniepro, L-(N), R-(S) banks MAP]
The Russian-installed Governor [Balytskyi] of occupied areas of Zaporizh* told [RF] news agency RIA Novosti that the mission would inspect operational parts of the plant and visit its reactors on Thursday [2 Sep]. Yevhen Balytskyi added that the mission would stay until September 3.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko earlier said the mission had a security agreement with Russia, and suggested several members of the team would stay onsite "for several days." IAEA chief Grossi is due to arrive back in Novooleksandrivka on Thursday [2 Sep], he added.

Ukraine would be unable to ensure the security of the mission while in the plant, as it is Russian-held, Halushchenko said, stressing that situation around the nuclear facility remains "a mess."

"We told him that we cannot do this and that is your own responsibility," Halushchenko said, referring to Grossi. He said Grossi seemed "confident to assume the risk."

by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 04:05:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
GOOG does not recognize this mayor (none / 0)

Orlov or Volga?
How many Russian-appointed mayors of Ener*godar are available for comment this week?
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 06:22:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
British Landing Party to Welcome IAEA Grossi Team? (none / 1)
What a thread! < wipes tears > Where is Boris "Landing Zone" Johnson by the by?
by Cat on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 01:17:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Both Ukrainian Missions Failed (none / 0)

IMO the attack was meant to establish a beachhead and basically try to rout Russian military occupying the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The so called attempt to reconquer Kherson in recent days was more likely a diversion as both missions failed.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 01:00:05 PM EST
Who Does UN SG Guterres Represent, A Reminder (none / 1)
Russian Defense Ministry puzzled by UN's non-response to Kiev's actions at Zaporozhye NPP | TASS |

The Russian Defense Ministry is puzzled by the lack of public response from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres regarding Ukraine's actions over the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the ministry said on Thursday.

"No public response from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres regarding Kiev's actions around the Zaporozhye NPP causes reasonable confusion," the ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry emphasized that "not only does this reticence cast a shadow and cast doubt on the objectivity of the UN approaches to the situation around the Zaporozhye NPP, but also leads to further escalation of the situation there with full impunity for the Kiev regime."

"In this regard, we completely understand the deathly silence of all Western handlers of the V. Zelensky regime, which in fact confirms their tacit participation in the preparation of today's provocation at the Zaporozhye NPP," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

  • General Assembly resolution demands end to Russian offensive in Ukraine | March 2, 2022 |  
  • UN General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council | April 7, 2022 |  


    • 'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 05:15:27 PM EST
    Re: Who Does UN SG Guterres Represent, A Reminder (none / 0)


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sun Sep 4th, 2022 at 01:47:28 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Western MSM Briefing Mockingbird Rules CIA (none / 0)
    UN inspectors arrive at Russian-occupied nuclear plant after delay due to fresh shelling | CBS News |

    UN inspectors finally reach Ukraine nuclear plant after shelling and emergency shutdown of reactor | CNBC updated |

    UN inspectors visit Ukraine nuclear plant as shelling causes reactor shutdown | TOI - AP News |

    IAEA Chief Says Inspectors Will Stay At Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant | RFERL |

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Thu Sep 1st, 2022 at 05:48:59 PM EST
    Pravda Ukraini (none / 0)
    What we got from team Zelensky were lies and manipulation Made In GB 🇬🇧

    Grossi's team of IAEA traveled in de Ukraine sector from Kyiv to the frontlines ... were held up for 3 hours by AFU and had to negotiate passage... the covert operation had failed in the early morning.

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 09:21:53 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Excellent Press Briefing Grossi IAEA (none / 1)

    Sorry journalists with your biased questions on NATO war narrative ... 😂 no dice.

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 07:31:24 PM EST
    Re: Excellent Press Briefing Grossi IAEA (none / 1)
    Let me give you an example. The physical damage to the plant with the exception of the event on the night of the 3rd to the 4th of March, with this fire, the shelling actually started in August. So it is quite clearly a more recent trend, if I can call it that. So what we see with this increase of military activity is that the physical integrity is more compromised. And with that, we ... I take you to the power supply, because it is clear that those who have these aims, these military aims, know very well that the way to cripple or to do more damage is not to look into the reactors which are enormously sturdy and robust but to hit where it hurts. So the plant becomes very, very problematic. So my concern would be the physical integrity [of] the power supply and, of course, the staff.
    RIA (Novosti) News, 1 Sep [MAP]
    Residents of Ener*odar handed over to the head of the IAEA an appeal to the world community in connection with the Ukrainian shelling - he promised that their call would be heard.

    He was also shown a map of Ukrainian strikes on the territory of the nuclear power plant, RIA Novosti correspondent reports.

    by Cat on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 08:13:38 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Excellent Press Briefing Grossi IAEA (none / 1)
    Politico.eu.com | UN inspectors find 'impacts' at `violated' Ukrainian nuclear plant, 2 Sep "read out"
    "We are establishing a permanent presence on site, this time with two of our experts who will be continuing the work," Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters after returning to Vienna from the Russian-occupied Zaporizh* nuclear power plant.

    He added that both Ukraine and Russia agreed to have two IAEA inspectors stay at the plant permanently. "This has tremendous value, it makes a huge difference."

    Their continued presence will allow the U.N. agency to provide independent information to the international community about the situation at the plant.
    [...]
    No political puppet

    Grossi also addressed criticisms from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk*, who on Thursday complained that the IAEA head had not demanded the demilitarization of the power plant and its surrounding area. "This was the key -- the key! -- security point of our agreements," Zelenskyy said.

    archived Podol*ak called it strange
    by Cat on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 11:17:14 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Excellent Press Briefing Grossi IAEA (none / 0)

    The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told reporters that six of the experts remain at the site to continue with the work | The Guardian - Live updates |

    'Sapere aude'

    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 05:10:27 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Excellent Press Briefing Grossi IAEA (none / 0)
    Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of manipulating and distorting information shared with the IAEA. Ukrainian state-owned operator Energoatom said in a statement that Russian officials "are making every effort to prevent the IAEA mission from getting to know the real state of affairs. They spread manipulative and false information about this visit."

    Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has accused Ukraine of "nuclear terrorism". Russian news agencies are reporting that defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said Ukraine was continuing to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP).

    Offering no evidence for the accusation, it quotes Vladimir Rogov saying "Ukrainian special services, on the orders of Zelenskiy, tried to introduce their  spies and saboteurs working under journalistic cover into the IAEA delegation to the ZNPP.

    Ukraine's military said it carried out strikes against Russian positions in the region around the southern town of Enerhodar near a nuclear power plant where U.N. experts are working, Reuters reports.

    The revelation by the armed forces' general staff was unusual, since the military rarely gives details of specific targets.

    A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency is gathering data at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, on the edge of Russian-occupied Enerhodar.

    "It has been confirmed that in the region around the towns of Kherson and Enerhodar, precise strikes by our armed forces destroyed three enemy artillery systems as well as a warehouse with ammunition and up to a company of soldiers," the general staff said in a Facebook post.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 05:11:39 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    1 Sep daily briefing

    Stéphane DUJARRIC:[@00:22:12] Mr Bulkarti?
    BULKARTI: Thank you, Stéphane. [The] Russian Defense Ministry today—It's about the IAEA mission to the Zaporzh* power plant— Russian defense minister stated today that the Ukrainian group of sabateurs tried to, attempted to seize, capture the staion in order to  use the [IAEA] mission as a human shield. So they were neutralized according to [RF] defense ministry and the officials of [the] Russian defense ministry expressed "bewilderment," I quote, due to the lack of reaction of the UN secretary-general to this incident. Do you have any reaction in this regard?
    DUJARRIC: You know, we're...we are glad that the Russian Federation did what it needed to do to keep our, the inspectors, safe. I think, our security people, our drivers, have done a tremendous job in getting the IAEA inspectors in . They will continue to support the mission until it ends, and it is like with any UN mission, it is the responsibility of those who have power over a certain area and who are responsible for a certain area to keep UN staff safe.###
    archived they have no way of verifying these allegations 7 June stolen grain
    by Cat on Fri Sep 2nd, 2022 at 07:33:19 PM EST
    Zelensky's Spin Master (none / 0)
    UN nuclear watchdog should be mistrusted `by default' - Zelensky's aide



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 05:12:40 AM EST
    Re: Zelensky's Spin Master (none / 1)
    Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken again about the IAEA visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in a video streamed to a meeting in Italy.

      We did everything to ensure that IAEA would get access to the ZNPP and I believe that this mission may still have a role to play.

      Unfortunately we haven't heard the main thing from the IAEA which is the call for Russia to demilitarise the station. I hope the mission will comply with what we've agreed and that it will serve the interests of the entire international community.

      Zelenskiy also said that ensuring the ZNPP returns to operating safely and remains connected to the country's power grid would help his country act to counter Europe's energy crisis.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 05:13:28 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    TASS | Zelensk* announced Ukraine's readiness to increase energy exports to the EU, 2 Sep
    His video message was broadcast on Friday at the Ambrosetti Economic Forum, which opened in the city of Cernobbio in northern Italy, the newspaper La Repubblica reports .

    "Ukraine is ready to increase the export of electricity to Europe, but for this it is important that the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant remains connected to the Ukrainian energy system. The Russian presence at the plant does not allow us to contribute to the energy situation in Europe," he said.

    archived synchronized trial connection
    "Despite all the difficulties, we can contribute to meeting at least 8% of Italy's electricity consumption," he continued. According to Zelensky, Ukraine "has great potential for the development of renewable energy and green hydrogen."
    < wipes tears >
    The Ukrainian leader also expressed hope to meet "with [resigned Italian Prime Minister] Mario Draghi in Italy."Draghi provided great support to my country, his personal commitment was highly appreciated," Zelensky said.
    KIRBY: "the safest outcome would be a controlled shutdown"World Bank | Global Gas Flaring Tracker!, 2012-2021 VOLUME! INTENSITY! Top 30!
    by Cat on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 05:41:28 AM EST
    UA MiG-29 Pilots In HARMS Way (none / 1)
    Pentagon for the first time acknowledges sending previously undisclosed anti-radar missiles to Ukraine | CNN Pentagon Briefing - Aug. 8, 2022 |

    Recently [March 10] the Ukrainian pilot, Major Yevhen Lysenko, was shot down aboard his MiG-29 fighter, which he used to launch AGM-88 HARM missiles, as can be seen in a video made in his commemoration and posted on the Twitter account of the Ukrainian Air Force. The AGM-88 HARM missiles have had a low success rate, with several being shot down before even hitting Russian radar stations. This is probably because anti-radar missiles are less effective at low altitudes, while Ukrainian pilots have been employing these missiles at low altitudes to prevent their fighters from being detected and shot down by Russian anti-aircraft systems.

    First Footage Of Ukrainian MiG-29 Firing US-delivered Anti-Radiation Missiles Emerges | The Aviationist |

    Finally, on Aug. 30, 2022, the Ukrainian Air Force shared an interesting video on social media channels, filmed with action/GoPro cameras attached to the pilot's helmet, showing several HARM missiles being fired (in some cases, also dual shots).

    The HARM appears also to be carried to the inboard underwing pylon.

    Along with the AGM-88 being carried and shot by the MiG-29, what's remarkable in the footage is also the installation of a commercial GPS and a tablet in the cockpit.
    [Contractor Raytheon -- range 30+ mi. / 48+ km.]

    Here's the comment about the integration in our previous story on this topic.

     Ukrainian MiG-29s Are Hunting Russian Radars With AGM-88 HARM Missiles



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 08:26:12 AM EST
    Re: UA MiG-29 Pilots In HARMS Way (none / 1)
    Russian S-400 System 'Facing The Heat' From AGM-88 Missiles That US Supplied To Ukrainian Armed Forces -- Reports

    A Russian-language edition of The Eurasia Daily (EAD) reported on August 24 that for the past three weeks, the Ukrainian military has been trying to use AGM-88 HARM missiles to destroy illumination radars of the S-400 and Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile systems that are positioned to provide air defense umbrella over Kherson and Nova Kakhovka.

    According to EAD, the AGM-88'D' variant of the missile was used to strike a specific S-400 position, but it failed to reach its target and instead landed in an apartment building in the Kherson region.

      Another AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile was spotted in Ukraine - this time an unexploded missile was found in #Kherson Oblast.

      It has some damage similar to shrapnel hits which may have been received from air defense interception, however a malfunction is also possible.

    According to the EAD, the crew manning the Russian air defense system was able to detect the incoming AGM-88D missile and shut down the radars, depriving the missile of the ability to home in on the radiation.

    The EAD noted that the incoming missile could have been detected by the 9S18M3 Kupol detection radar of the Buk-M3 complex, the all-altitude VVO 96L6 detector of the S- 400, or even the Gazetchik-E complex, designed to protect the ground-based radars from enemy anti-radar missiles.

    In addition, the EAD reported that the GPS inside the missile could have been jammed by the Russian electronic warfare complexes of the R-330Zh Zhitel or R-330M1P Diabazol, leaving the AGM-88 with INS alone, which could not provide the accurate guidance needed for a successful hit.



    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 08:59:47 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Slava Ukraini! (none / 0)
    by Cat on Sat Sep 3rd, 2022 at 01:48:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 0)
    PSA, 5 Sep

    Sputnik, Ukriform, Republic World bulletin: IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi To Brief UN Security Council About Visit To Zaporizhzhia NPP, Tuesday, 6 Sep

    euractiv | Nuclear plant loses power line as Moscow, [NATO] energy row escalates

    A critical nuclear power plant in Ukraine again lost external power, international energy officials said on Saturday (3 September), heightening concerns as the energy battle between Moscow and [NATO] ramped up in recent days amid the ongoing war.
    [...]
    Only one of the six reactors remained in operation at the station, the agency said in a statement posted on its website.
    [...]
    Last week, Zaporizh* [oblast? city? NPP?] was severed from the national grid for the first time [nope] in its history after transmission lines were cut [HOW?], prompting power cuts across Ukraine, although emergency generators kicked for vital cooling processes.

    Meanwhile, the IAEA on Saturday said remaining inspectors noted one reactor was "still operating and producing electricity both for cooling and other essential safety functions at the site and for households, factories and others through the grid."...

    I will be surprised if the Grossi does not receive a Bachelet treatment and IAEA field conclusions are not revised a week later by IEA plant monitors.
    by Cat on Mon Sep 5th, 2022 at 09:37:02 PM EST
    Re: Casualty (none / 0)
    by Cat on Mon Sep 5th, 2022 at 09:41:11 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)

    "Nuclear Safety, Security, and Safeguards in Ukraine," 2nd Summary Report by the Director General, 28 April - 5 September 2022. 52 pp

    (E-W MSM talking points subthread)

    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 03:48:26 PM EST
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)

    CNN | IAEA calls for 'safety zone' [Recommendation 1, p 13] ...
    Once there, the [ISAMZ] team saw first-hand the damage shelling has caused to the facility and "noted with concern that the shelling could have impacted safety related structures, systems and components, and could have caused safety significant impacts, loss of lives and personnel injuries [p 11]," the report said.

    The plant and the area around it, including the town of Enerhodar, have endured persistent shelling that has raised fears of a nuclear accident through the interruption of the power supply to the plant. Each sides accuses the other of acts of nuclear terrorism.
    Ukrainian officials on Monday said Russian shelling led to its last operating reactor to disconnect from Ukraine's grid, and President Volodymyr Zelensky later accused Russia of intentionally deteriorating the situation around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

    The Ukrainian president said last week that demilitarization of the plant was "the goal of Ukrainian and international efforts."...



    Recommendation 2: The IAEA recommends that the physical protection system should be operated as designed and licensed, and that the continued functioning of safety and security systems and operability of the systems and equipment at ZNPP be ensured. This requires the removal of vehicles from areas that could interfere with the operation of safety and security systems and equipment. [p 14]
    S Ukraine NPP (SUNPP), Rivne NPP (RNPP), Khmelnytskyy NPP (KhNPP) incident report, 24 Feb - 26 June 2022, p 31 - 32; IAEA-SNRIU assistance, p32 - 39
    152. The remaining power reactor site -- Zaporizhzhya --which was occupied by Russian forces, remained inaccessible to the IAEA until September. The Zaporizh* site consists of six reactors, a common fresh fuel store, and a large dry spent fuel storage facility. To provide credible assurances about the non-diversion of declared nuclear material and the peaceful nature of nuclear activities at this site, the IAEA needs to conduct regular in-field verification activities including a yearly physical inventory verification (PIV) of the nuclear material and design information verification of the facilities on the site. [p 41]
    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 05:43:43 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    Readovka | The final report of the IAEA mission never mentions shelling of the ZNPP by Ukrainian militants
    Today, on September 6, the IAEA published a 52-page report in which it presented in detail the results of its mission to the Zaporozh* NPP. In the document, the experts detailed their assessments of the state of the station and presented the conclusions of their trip.
    Conclusions, p 44-45
    In particular, the organization recorded a number of damages at the Zaporozhye NPP, including in buildings for the storage of nuclear fuel and waste, and encouraged to prevent shelling of the station because of the threat to its physical integrity, the violation of which could lead to the risk of a "nuclear incident". The experts also stated the need to create "an agreement by all parties to create a protective zone around the station in order to avoid damage."[Recommendation 1, p 13]...
    Conclusions
    [...]
    1. The IAEA has a concrete and detailed technical plan for safety and security assistance to Ukraine's nuclear facilities, and activities involving radioactive sources. In particular it has now started and will continue to deliver equipment primarily under RANET, while continued commitment of Member States and close cooperation between Ukraine and the IAEA will be essential.

    2. Despite challenging circumstances, the IAEA has continued to implement safeguards in Ukraine, including during the ISAMZ, and the IAEA has not found any indication that would give rise to a proliferation concern.
    [...]
    Annex I: Chronology of events since 28 April 2022 [p 46-48]
    Events at the ChNPP [19 May - 6 June]
    Events at the ZNPP [29 April - 4 Sep]
    Events at the SUNPP, RNPP, KhNPP [28 April, 27 June]
    Radon Facilities [none]
    Events at the KIPT [25 June]
    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 06:13:10 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    Politico.eu.com | UN nuclear watchdog calls for security zone around Zaporizhzhia
    The agency said it wants to start consultations with Ukraine -- the operator of the plant -- and Russia -- its de facto occupier -- about establishing such a security zone "immediately," as it will require agreement "by all relevant parties." [p 13]
    The IAEA implements safeguards at 34 nuclear facilities in Ukraine and more than a dozen locations outside facilities (LOFs) handling smaller amounts of nuclear material. The safeguards implementation effort is concentrated at four NPP sites hosting 15 operational power reactors and at the Chornobyl site, which hosts three shutdown reactors, the reactor damaged in the 1986 accident, and two spent fuel processing and storage facilities. [ p 40]
    The report also recommended improving working conditions for some 9,000 Ukrainian staff currently operating the plant, noting that they are "under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available.
    On 13 March, Ukraine informed the IAEA that at least 11 representatives of the Russian Federation's State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom" were present at the site. On 29 April, the Ukrainian authorities reported that Rosenergoatom—a unit of Rosatom—had sent a group of nuclear specialists to the ZNPP. These specialists requested daily reports from plant management about "confidential issues" on the functioning of the NPP, covering aspects related to administration and management, maintenance and repair activities, security and access control, and management of nuclear fuel, spent fuel and radioactive waste. The IAEA considers that the presence of Rosatom senior technical staff could lead to interference with the normal lines of operational command or authority and create potential frictions when it comes to decision-making. Energoatom operating teams at the plant have been able to rotate in three shifts per day, but the situation has had a negative impact on staff. [...] the operating staff did not have unrestricted access to some areas, such as the spray cooling ponds, roofs of the buildings, and structures in the area of the water intake, and that access to the cooling ponds area was required to be granted by the military personnel at the site.
    [...]
    normal staffing level was 1230 for three shifts, whereas there were currently 907 staff for three shifts
    [...]
    Recommendation 3: The IAEA recommends that an appropriate work environment, including family support, for operating staff should be re-established. Furthermore, as the operator has the prime responsibility for nuclear safety and security, it should be able to fulfil [sic] its mission with clear lines of responsibilities and authorities.[pp 15-16]
    "This is not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety," [p 30] the agency warned.
    76. Communication between the ZNPP and the SNRIU [State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine] has been severely affected since March with many lines of communication either not functioning or unreliable. Some communication is now possible through mobile phones and email, but there have been no Ukrainian regulatory inspections of the facilities on site.
    [...]
    81. The team was informed that regulatory oversight inspections on site had been suspended by the SNRIU in April 2022 and that, currently, regulatory oversight was conducted only remotely.
    [...]
    Recommendation 7: The IAEA recommends that reliable and redundant communication means and channels, including internet and/or satellite connectivity, should be ensured with all external organizations necessary for the safe and secure operation of the facility. [pp 22-23]
    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 07:06:49 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    6 Sep: Casualty (none / 0)
    Ukranews | IAEA Confirms That Russia Located Its Military Equipment Directly In Engine Rooms Of Zaporizhzhia NPP
    This is stated in the IAEA published report on the results of the mission to the Zaporizh* NPP.

    The report indicates that there are several military trucks on the ground floor of turbine halls in power units Nos. 1, 2.

    38. On 2 September, the team verified that all safety systems for Unit 6 were in normal condition during the visit to the main control room of Unit 6. [CAPTION: Military vehicles on the ground floor of the turbine hall of Unit 2 of ZNPP (Photo: IAEA)]
    39. The [ISAMZ] team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles, and equipment at various places at the ZNPP, including several military trucks on the ground floor of the Unit 1 and Unit 2 turbine halls and military vehicles stationed under the overpass connecting the reactor units. The team also observed the presence of an expert group from Rosenergoatom. It was explained to the team by the Ukrainian plant staff and managers that the role of this expert group was to provide advice on nuclear safety, security, and operations to the management of the ZNPP. [pp 13-14]
    IAEA believes that the presence of senior technical personnel can lead to interference in the normal operation of operational management and create potential friction in the context of decision-making, the report notes....
    Pravda.ua | Zelensky reacted to the IAEA report on the ZNPP: the mission needs a broader mandate to drive out the Russian Federation
    Source:  Zelensky's video message
    Direct speech: "Regarding IAEA Director General Grossi's proposal to create a protection zone at the station, one must look at the specific content of such an instrument: what exactly can be protection?

    If the content of this proposal is to demilitarize the territory of the nuclear power plant—and this is logical, because it was the Russian military presence that put the Zaporizh* station on the brink of a radiation disaster—then we can support such a demilitarized protection zone....

    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 10:52:29 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Detail: Casualty (none / 0)
    supra Imagery Support for the ISAMZ (photo): "Russian Military Equipment (Damaged During UAV Strike)"
    by Cat on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 11:02:25 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 0)
    Ukraine energy chief: Russia trying to 'steal' nuclear plant, 9 Sep radiation disaster
    The Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant has been without an outside source of electricity since Monday and receives power for its own safety systems from the only one of its six reactors that remains operational, Enerhoatom [remote] chief Petro Kotin told The Associated Press.

    "We are trying to keep this unit running as much as possible, but eventually it will have to be shut down [!] and then the station will switch to diesel generators," he said, adding that such generators are "the station's last defense before a radiation accident."
    [...]
    Kotin said the Russians "have a crazy idea to switch the ZNPP to the Russian power system; in fact they are trying to steal the Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant of Ukraine and steal all the electricity it produces." He said the Russians gave the plant management a 10-page plan about three or four weeks ago to connect the plant to the electricity grid in ["temporarily occupied"] Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

    CNN | Ukraine admits it was behind three explosions in Crimea. Here's what we know, 17 Aug
    ...The incidents both took place around the Dzhankoi area, described by the British Ministry of Defence as 'a key road and rail junction that plays an important role in supplying Russia's operations in southern Ukraine.'"...
    Reuters | Prepare bomb shelters in Crimea, Zelensk* adviser tells residents, 5 Sep
    ..."In particular, to prepare a bomb shelter, stock up with sufficient amounts of water and charge powerbanks. Everything will be Ukraine," [Mykhailo Podol*ak] wrote on Twitter.
    On the same day, the Russians started shelling the power lines that connect the plant to the Ukrainian [?] grid, and on Monday, the last line was cut, Kotin said.
    [...]
    Kotin said the plant has enough diesel fuel for 10 days. After that, about 200 tons of diesel fuel would need to be brought in daily for the generators, which he said was "impossible" while the plant was occupied by Russian forces. He said connecting the plant to the Russian [?] grid also was practically impossible given the hostilities in the area.

    "There is no other solution than the de-occupation of the ZNPP, the transfer of the plant to the control of the Ukrainian side or international security organizations," Kotin told AP.

    Pravda.ua | Ukraine can return Crimea within the next year - the US general, 9 Sep
    Source : Hodges in a Newsweek commentary on the sidelines of the Tbilisi International Conference of the McCain Institute

    Direct speech : "Ukrainians saved their country... They set the conditions under which they can restore full sovereignty, including Crimea, I think, within the next year."...

    by Cat on Sat Sep 10th, 2022 at 12:09:46 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Detail: ENTSO (none / 0)
    Poland says Ukraine ready to offer power as coal alternative, 9 Sep
    Poland's premier Mateusz Morawiecki and Latvia's President Egils Levits, were in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk* about military and energy security amid the region's efforts to roll back its dependence on Russian energy sources.
    [...]
    "If we are not to burn [coal or tires] in Polish power plants, we could use some energy from Ukraine, if possible. I was told by the president that yes, it will be possible, shortly," Morawiecki said....
    by Cat on Sat Sep 10th, 2022 at 01:14:21 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Detail: IAEA (none / 0)
    Politico.eu.com | Ukrainian nuclear plant may shut down amid renewed shelling, says [IAEA], 9 Sep
    The city of Ener*odar, where most of the facility's staff and families live, is experiencing a complete power blackout, with "no running water, no power, no sewage," Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said. The situation could have a serious impact "on the availability of essential staff on site to continue to safely and securely operate the nuclear power plant," he warned.

    The operator of the Zaporizh* plant [Enerhoatom] "is considering shutting down the only remaining operating reactor," as it no longer has "confidence in the restoration of offsite power," the agency said in a written statement.

    Kirby: "We believe that the safest outcome would be a controlled shutdown of the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant reactors"
    by Cat on Sat Sep 10th, 2022 at 01:31:12 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    detail: Enerhoatom (none / 0)
    rumor is, although ZNPP is not shut down, Saturday, external technicians interrupted supply to territory controlled by UA—at substations?
    by Cat on Sun Sep 11th, 2022 at 01:18:34 AM EST
    [ Parent ]
    IAEA's Support and Assistance Mission (none / 1)


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Tue Sep 6th, 2022 at 05:47:51 PM EST
    It's official: Casualty (none / 0)
    Politico.eu.com | Zaporizh* nuclear power plant is being shut down, operator says, 9/11
    The last operating reactor at the Zaporizh* nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been completely shut down and disconnected from the grid, the Ukrainian operator Ener*oatom said on Sunday.

    "Arrangements for its cooling and transfer to a cold state are underway," Energoatom said, adding that in recent days the sixth -- and last operating -- reactor at the plant had been powering exclusively the facility's in-house needs because "all transmission lines linking the Zaporizhzhya NPP to the Ukrainian power system were damaged due to Russian shelling."
    [...]
    "In order to prevent an emergency situation at the power plant, it is necessary to stop the Russian shelling of the transmission lines linking the ZNNP to the power system and establish a demilitarized zone around it," Energoatom said.

    Pravda.ua | Zaporizh* NPP is completely stopped - Ener*oatom
    On September 11, at 03:41, power unit No. 6 of the ZNPP was disconnected from the power grid. Preparations are underway for its cooling and transfer to a cold state.

    Source: Energoatom

    Details: The agency explains that for the past three days, the 6th power unit has been operating in island mode, feeding only its own needs of the ZNPP at a critically low power level, as all communication [?] lines of the Zaporizh* NPP with the Ukrainian power system were damaged due to Russian shelling.

    Literally: "On the evening of September 10, after one of these communication lines was restored to its operational capacity, power supply for ZNPP's own needs became possible from the energy system of Ukraine....

    Prehistory:
    • On September 1, the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency  arrived at the Zaporizh* NPP  in occupied Ener*odar. On September 5, four of the six participants of the IAEA mission completed their work at the station, while  two representatives of the organization were supposed to[!] remain there . ...

    RIA Novosti | Electricity supply of ZNPP was transferred to diesel generators
    Zaporozhye NPP was switched to power from diesel generators, said the chairman of the movement "We are with Russia", a member of the main council of the military-civilian administration of the Zaporozh* region Vladimir Rogov.

    "Now, in order to maintain technological processes, the power supply of the Zaporizh* NPP has been switched to diesel generators. This is a temporary solution," the politician told RIA Novosti.

    According to him, this is due to the fact that "the K*v authorities deliberately fired on and disabled the power lines that feed the nuclear power plant, and also did not accept the energy generated at the nuclear power plant, artificially [?] blocking the flow to the right bank of the Dnieper."...

    vOldEmoRT: Last power unit switched off at Zaporozhye nuclear plant
    The sixth reactor "was stopped at 3:45 am. Now it doesn't generate electricity," Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozh* Region administration, told RIA-Novosti.
    [...]
    Ukrainian state-owned company Ener*oatom has also confirmed the so-called `cold shutdown' of the last unit, with the Zaporozh* facility coming to a complete halt. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been controlled by Russian forces since March, but is still operated by Ukrainian staff. Despite the shutdown of the Zaporozh* nuclear power plant, energy supply to the nearby town of Ener*odar is continuing as usual, the local authorities assured.
    archived Ukranews | Zelenskyy Against Shutdown Of Zaporizh* NPP, 5 days ago
    by Cat on Sun Sep 11th, 2022 at 01:01:50 PM EST
    Re: It's official: Casualty (none / 1)
    Russia Retaliates For Ukrainian Strikes On RF Controlled Electricity Networks Occupied Territory

    One thus wonders about the Ukrainian decision makers and their 'western' intelligence minders who thought that attacking electricity networks under Russian control would somehow benefit their cause.

    The Ukrainian military has for weeks attacked the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, since early March under Russian control and guarded by Russian troops, with artillery strikes. Yesterday the last of the plant's six reactors had to shut down after its connection to external emergency power supply was destroyed during another Ukrainian artillery attack. (The line was later restored.)

    It was not the only target of Ukrainian infrastructure attacks. As British intelligence asset Bellingcat mouthpiece Christo Gorzev tweeted gleefully:

      Half of Belgorod is left without electricity after what appears to be a Ukrainian attack on its central electricity distribution station


    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 06:20:55 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    wait. (none / 0)
    Has Applebaum weighed in?
    by Cat on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 07:14:13 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: wait. (none / 0)
    Could she marry Charles III ... just maybe, maybe an option out for her 😂

    'Sapere aude'
    by Oui (Oui) on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 07:44:58 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Competition: Europe's NEW largest NPP (none / 1)
    US Embassy in PL | The United States of America and the Republic of Poland Make Progress on Civil Nuclear Cooperation, 12 Sep
    On September 12, 2022, the United States via the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski joined Westinghouse Poland President Miroslaw Kowalik and Bechtel's General Manager for Nuclear Power Ahmet Tokpinar to deliver the ["]Concept and Execution Report for Civil Nuclear Cooperation["] to Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa in Warsaw, Poland
    [...]
    Serving as more than a commercial offer, the ["]Concept and Execution Report["] reflects 18 months of intensive work and millions of dollars of U.S. funded analysis and assessments. To support this report, U.S. project companies Westinghouse and Bechtel conducted detailed studies on the feasibility of AP1000 technology to deliver on the expectations of the Polish Nuclear Power Program and Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, the investor in the construction of nuclear power plants in Poland. The final document was thoroughly reviewed by experts and determined complete by a bilateral steering committee co-chaired by Deputy Minister Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński from Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment and Assistant Secretary Andrew Light from the U.S. Department of Energy.

    Speaking about the significance of the document, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, "The report is a major step towards Poland's development of a robust civil nuclear industry that is zero-carbon emitting and will result in another European source of energy that is free from Russian influence. This project has the potential to ensure that the Polish people can receive the safest, most advanced, and reliable nuclear technology available."

    Thar ya go. When gott shuts down an NPP, another one opens! 2040.
    by Cat on Tue Sep 13th, 2022 at 06:20:39 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    It's official: Casualty (none / 1)
    IAEA | Update 101 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine, 12 Sep
    A second back-up power line to Ukraine's Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been restored, enabling the operator to keep one line in reserve while the other provides the plant with the external electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential safety functions during shutdown
    [...]
    the restoration on Saturday of a 330 kilovolt (kV) power line allowed the plant to access off-site electricity from the grid instead of relying on the reactor itself for power. A 750/330 kV line has now also been restored and it is being used to provide the plant with power required for its safety functions, with the restored 330 kV line held in reserve. The two restored lines can both receive power from the grid through the switchyard of a nearby thermal power station.
    [...]
    he ZNPP's four main external power lines are all down and it is not currently providing electricity to households, factories and others.

    src: @Azmilitary1 (simplified grid schema: yellow: onshore wind generation shown, others omitted)
    by Cat on Tue Sep 13th, 2022 at 07:27:21 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 0)
    Just scrolled through... thought I'd say hello.

    You may not have realised that the plant, though in Russian-controlled territory, had been connected to the Ukrainian grid, not the Russian-controlled one, throughout the war. The Russians' plan seems to have been to destroy its connections to the Ukrainian grid, in order to subsequently connect it to the Russian grid -- a non-trivial engineering process, especially in a war zone, and it's not clear that they will be able to achieve it.

    The Ukrainian operator has apparently decided that the Russians will no longer allow them to send power home, and the repeated destruction of the power connections make the plant impossible to operate safely, so a shutdown is the least dangerous option.

    None of this requires Americans to pull any strings.

    It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II

    by eurogreen on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 01:50:59 PM EST
    Explaining a joke is no fun at all! (none / 1)
    Quote Investigator
    by Cat on Mon Sep 12th, 2022 at 02:02:38 PM EST
    IAEA: Casualty (none / 1)
    yahoo! Reuters | IAEA board passes resolution calling on Russia to leave Zaporizhzhia, 15 Sep railroad
    • Twenty-six of 35 board members backed the text
    • Russia and China only countries to oppose it
    IOW: "Russia and China were the countries that voted against while Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, Burundi, Vietnam, India and Pakistan abstained, the diplomats said."
    The resolution is the second on Russia's invasion of Ukraine passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board, and their content is very similar, though the first in March preceded Russian forces taking control of Zaporizh* [4 Mar?], Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.

    Both resolutions were proposed by Canada and Poland on behalf of Ukraine, which is not on the board, the IAEA's top policy-making body that meets more than once a year.
    [...]
    "This Board took up the issue in March and adopted a resolution that deplored Russia's violent actions and called upon Russia to immediately cease all actions against and at nuclear facilities in Ukraine and return control of them to the competent Ukrainian authorities," the U.S. statement to the board said.

    "The very next day, Russia spurned that call by seizing the Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant. Russia is treating Ukraine's civilian infrastructure as a military prize, seeking to deprive Ukraine of control over its own energy resources and to use the plant as a base for military action against Ukraine," it added.

    MR Online | International Atomic Energy agency takes Ukraine side in war in September 15 vote, making UN Secretary-General Guterres either a liar or a fool, 19 Sep indignation
    This is the most dramatic shift by the United Nations (UN) nuclear power regulator in the 65-year history of the organisation based in Vienna.

    The terms of the IAEA Resolution Number 58, which were proposed early this week by the Polish and Canadian governors on the agency board, were known in advance by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he spoke by telephone with President Vladimir Putin in the late afternoon of September 14, before the vote was taken. Guterres did not reveal what he already knew would be the IAEA action the next day.
    [...]
    Grossi was asked this morning through his spokesman, Fredrik Dahl, to say what voting rules were adopted for the resolution. Dahl (right) is an Austrian with a long career as a Reuters correspondent working on the NATO side during the war against Serbia and the U.S. and Israeli campaigns against Iran. Dahl refused to answer the telephone or email questions.

    Grossi's press office was also asked to report the roll call on the resolution vote, identifying the countries voting for the resolution, and those voting against or abstaining. Dahl and his associates refused to reply. The IAEA website is not disclosing the vote.

    Instead, the Russian representative on the IAEA board and the Embassy in Vienna published a report on Telegram. This reveals the 35-member board voted 26 in favour; Russia and China voted against; Burundi, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Senegal and South Africa voted to abstain. Twenty-six votes amount to 74% of the board; it is one vote short of a super-majority. ...

    IAEA | Resolution adopted on 15 September 2022 during the 1647th session , 15 Sep GOV/2022/58
    by Cat on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 at 03:43:14 AM EST
    IAEA: Casualty (none / 0)
    IAEA | Proposal for Ukraine Nuclear Safety Zone Wins Support as Talks Begin on Its Establishment, 22 Sep by Fredrik Dahl
    detailed talks have now begun with Ukraine and Russia aimed at agreeing and implementing it as soon as possible, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today after a series of high-level meetings in New York this week.

    In a sign of growing momentum for such a zone to protect Europe's largest nuclear power plant, French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday hosted an event in New York to discuss the safety and security of civilian nuclear facilities in armed conflicts that was also attended by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell as well as foreign ministers and senior officials from several other countries.
    [...]
    After the meeting, chaired by President Macron and Director General Grossi, a statement was issued by nine countries welcoming this month's IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) and supporting the Agency's efforts to maintain a continued presence there.
    [...]
    Further underlining the need for such a zone, there has been renewed shelling at the ZNPP site this week, damaging electrical cables and temporarily forcing one of the six reactor units to rely on emergency diesel generators.
    [...]
    While in New York, Director General Grossi separately also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, as part of talks with all parties aimed at reaching an agreement soon on the zone's establishment.

    The Director General first proposed such a zone in a report issued a few days after his  mission to the ZNPP, saying shelling there over the past several weeks represented a "constant threat to nuclear safety and security...

    IAEA Governors (2021-2022): AR, AU, AT, BR, BI, CA, CN, CO, CZ, EG, FI, FR, DE, GT, IN, IE, JP, KR, LY, MY, MX, NZ, PK, PE, PL, RU, SG, SI, ZA, ES, CH, AE, UK, US, VN
    The statement was issued by senior representatives of the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy [?], the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ukraine [?], and the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
    diplomatie.gouv.fr | Joint statement - High-level meeting on the safety and security of civil nuclear facilities in armed conflicts, 9 Sep 2022
    "...Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and senior officials from the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United States of America, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy..."

    Ukriform | IAEA starts consultations with Ukraine, Russia regarding safety zone at ZNPP, 22 Sep
    "The IAEA chief wrote this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports. Grossi also added that he had started similar consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov."

    by Cat on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 at 09:28:47 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    Politico.eu.com | Russia abducts head of Zaporizh* nuclear plant, operator says, 1 Oct
    Ihor Murashov, director general of the power plant [ZNPP], was arrested by Russian patrols on his way from the facility to a nearby town [Ener*odar] on Friday afternoon, according to Energoatom, a state enterprise operating all four nuclear power plants [SUNPP, RNPP, KhNPP, ZNPP] in the country.
    September 2022
    euronews | Ukraine war: Russian-occupied regions start voting in 'sham referendums', 23 Sep
    PBS | Kremlin-led referendum vote concludes, rising Western tensions, 27 Sep
    Kherson, Zaporizh*, Luhansk, Donetsk
    RFERL | Putin Signs 'Treaties' Formalizing Ukraine Land Grab Amid Global Condemnation, 30 Sep
    NATO | Press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, 30 Sep
    "NATO Allies do not, and will not, recognise any of this territory as part of Russia."
    "The vehicle of the Director General of the [Zaporizh* plant] was stopped, he was taken out of the car, and with his eyes blindfolded he was driven in an unknown direction. For the time being there is no information on his fate," Energoatom's head, Petro Kotin, said in a statement.
    I demand that the ruscists staying at the ZNPP and Rosatom's personnel, who also stay illegally at the nuclear facility of Ukraine, stop immediately the acts of nuclear terrorism towards the management and personnel of the ZNPP, release the plant's Director General and let him return to his responsibilities on maintaining safe operation of the Zaporizh* NPP.

    I appeal to Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and WANO Chairman Tom Mitchell to take all possible immediate actions to urgently free the Director General of the ZNPP from the ruscist captivity and to bring him back to perform his duties.

    Say NO to nuclear terrorism of putin's russia!

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has asked for clarification, Reuters reported.

    Kotin believes that Russia is planning to transfer the Zaporizh* power plant to Rosatom, the Guardian reported. "They are trying to make our personnel just to sign the accurate deals for the work at Rosatom," [Reuters] quoted him as saying.

    The power plant was in ["]the spotlight["] earlier this month [ISZAM 1-3 Sep?] when it was taken off the electricity grid [10 Sep? 11 Sep?] in response to Russian [?] shelling. It is located in one of the areas [Zaporizh* oblast] that Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to annex.

    September 2022
    Interfax.ua | Ukrainian special forces destroy warehouse of ballots in Zaporizh* region, 5 Sep
    yahoo! Ukrayinska Pravda| Night-time shelling of Zaporizh* damaged 42 private houses and 34 flats, 19 Sep
    Telesur | Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhie Hold Referendums, 22-23 shelling
    yahoo! Ukrainska Pravda | Zaporizh* attack: Number of casualties rises to 9, people spent night in bus, 24 Sep
    al mayadeen | Referendum in Kherson to continue despite deadly Ukrainian shelling, 25 Sep
    IAEA | Animals likely triggered three landmine explosions close to Ukraine's Zaporizh* Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) , 28 Sep
    Kharkiv region reported that about 30 people were killed when the Ukrainian military shelled a refugee convoy, 29 Sep
    --or--
    NY Post | Russian missile strike on civilian convoy kills 30 outside Zaporizh*, 30 Sep
    --or--
    RT | 24 killed and 36 wounded, 30 Sep
    by Cat on Sat Oct 1st, 2022 at 05:25:26 PM EST
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    tabloid USAToday | Putin SEIZES Europe's largest power plant, signs laws annexing Ukraine regions despite military losses, 5 Oct
    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Wednesday claiming ownership of the beleaguered Zaporizh* power plant even as the director [!] of Ukraine's nuclear power company said he will assume operations of EUROPE'S LARGEST NUCLEAR PLANT
    which does not generate electricity for and could not transmit electricity to EU27
    The announcement came hours after Putin signed laws annexing the Zaporizh* region. Earlier in the day, Energoatom chief Petro Kotin said he will be running the Russian-held plant from the capital Kyiv.
    on brand, re-brand
    "The need for a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) around #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is now more urgent than ever," Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, tweeted.

    The plant's Ukrainian director was kidnapped and released by Russian forces who occupy the facility. Ukrainian workers continue to operate the plant, which halted power generation last month.

    ruble pay? Despite Uncle Volody's fatwa? heavens to betsy. Wutta sacrifice. Wutta relief.
    by Cat on Wed Oct 5th, 2022 at 04:54:31 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    censor.net | It is planned to launch one of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhya NPP - IAEA, 5 Oct UA pravda
    This was reported by the IAEA, informs Censor.NET with reference to Hromadske.
    Update 112 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    in consultations with the relevant authorities following reports today that Russia plans to supervise operations of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP)
    [...]
    Separately today, IAEA experts at the site learnt that the ZNPP plans to restart one of its six reactors which are currently all in cold shutdown. Senior Ukrainian operating staff informed IAEA experts present at the ZNPP that preparations are under way to start unit 5 at reduced power to produce steam and heat for the needs of the plant. It will take some time to complete all preparations, including those related to necessary systems and equipment, before reactor operations can resume.
    [...]
    The IAEA team also reported that there had been shelling yesterday in an industrial area located between the ZNPP and the town of Ener*odar, but the plant site itself was not affected.

    "The enemy has focused the shelling on our [gas-fired] power plant to derail our preparations for the winter season, and to demonstrate that the authorities are not capable of heating the city," [RF Zaporizh* Gov Yevgeny] Balitsky told Russian television on Wednesday.

    He believes Kiev intends to "destroy the infrastructure and make [Energodar] unlivable." The Ukrainian government wants to regain control over the region, but does not want the people living in it to remain, he insisted. [—RT.05.10.22]

    We will remind you that on the night of September 11, the last working power unit No. 6 at the Zaporizh* NPP, which had been supplying the plant's own needs until now, was stopped. Therefore, all units of the nuclear power plant were transferred to the safest state - cold shutdown. Currently, the electricity required for cooling the reactor and other important safety functions at the ZNPP comes from the outside to the plant from the [closest gas-fueled plant] power system of Ukraine in Ener*odar.

    Ukrainian specialists continue to work at the station, despite the presence of Rosatom representatives and Russian occupiers. IAEA representatives are also monitoring the situation at the ZNPP.

    by Cat on Wed Oct 5th, 2022 at 09:21:50 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    censor.net | Ukraine calls for the introduction of sanctions against "Rosatom" due to the attempt to appropriate the [ZNPP], 5 Oct UA pravda
    This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports.
    [...]
    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggests that the European Union, the "Big Seven" states [G7] and other partners urgently consider the introduction of sanctions against the Russian state corporation Rosatom, its affiliated companies and institutions, as well as other key factors of the Russian nuclear energy industry.

    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also calls on the member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] to limit cooperation within the framework of any projects with Russia, which is resorting to open nuclear blackmail [sic] of the whole world [!], and also counts on a clear position and proactive role in these issues from the Director General of the IAEA.

    ah! selective Zelensk* fatwa
    "We warn citizens of Russia, who will carry out criminal orders regarding the appropriation of the civilian nuclear infrastructure of Ukraine, of criminal liability for their illegal actions and the irreversibility of punishment. We demand from the Russian side to ensure the safety and integrity of citizens of Ukraine who continue to perform critical functions at the nuclear power plant", emphasized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
    by Cat on Wed Oct 5th, 2022 at 09:30:28 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Re: Casualty (none / 1)
    IAEA | Update 114 - IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine, 8 Oct
    The shelling damaged the ZNPP's last remaining operating 750 kilovolt (kV) power line shortly after midnight, forcing Europe's largest nuclear power plant to rely on its emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Grossi said, citing information from the IAEA team of experts present at the site.
    [...]
    As part of efforts to agree and implement such a zone as soon as possible, the Director General held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday and he will also discuss the issue in the Russian Federation early next week, before returning to Ukraine.
    [...]
    The loss of external power comes a day after the IAEA experts at the ZNPP reported that shelling had damaged a power line providing electricity to the plant's reactor unit 6, which temporarily received power from its emergency diesel generators instead. Yesterday, the nearby city of Ener*odar  - where the ZNPP's staff and their families live [among some 40K useless inhabitants] - lost electricity after shelling damaged an electrical transformer at the thermal power station, and shelling continued today at the industrial site outside the nuclear power plant site.

    After the connection to the 750 kV line was lost early today, all sixteen of the plant's available diesel generators started operating automatically, providing its six reactors with power. When the situation stabilised, ten of the generators were switched off, leaving six to provide the reactors with electricity. Efforts are under way to increase the available fuel stocks for the diesel generators.

    All the plant's safety systems continue to receive power and are operating normally, the IAEA experts were informed by senior Ukrainian operating staff at the site. Although the six reactors are in cold shutdown, they still require electricity for vital nuclear safety and security functions.

    The location of the damage to the 750 kV power line has been identified outside the ZNPP site and it will be repaired by the grid operator, the IAEA expert team reported. A damaged electrical transformer at the switchyard of the thermal power station will also be repaired, but the timing depends on the shelling in the area. The IAEA team was also informed that the electricity connection between the ZNPP's own switchyard and reactor unit 6 had been fixed.

    Senior operating staff at the ZNPP had informed the IAEA team on Wednesday about plans to re-start reactor unit 5 at reduced power to produce steam and heat for the needs of the plant, but those preparations were halted after the plant lost all external power.

    by Cat on Sat Oct 8th, 2022 at 08:54:57 PM EST
    TSO, DSO: Casualty (none / 1)

    2019 CIGRE export plan
    "Very glad to announce that as of today, Ukraine can export electricity to the EU market. It will provide an additional source of electricity for the EU. And much-needed revenues to Ukraine. So we both benefit."[vdL tweet, June 30,2022]


    Flanders Investment

    VZ | How Ukraine will freeze, 7 Oct

    Energy Mathematics

    According to Ukrainian media estimates, since 2014 Ukraine has lost 33% of energy generation (in the territories controlled by Russia). Ukraine lost 10 power plants in 2014-2015, another 17 in 2022. Zaporizhzhya NPP certainly stands out among them. But that doesn't mean the rest aren't worth considering. For example, Zaporizhzhya TPP (Energodar) has an installed capacity of more than 3,500 MW and can potentially produce 23-25 ​​billion kWh (the annual plan for ZNPP for 2022 was 37 billion kWh). In other words, the loss of Energodar is a hole that Ukraine physically has nothing to close and which will largely determine the problems of the Ukrainian winter of 2022/23.

    Ukraine lost another 4% of electricity generation as a result of hostilities from February to September ( estimated [23 Sep] by the National Council for the Reconstruction of Ukraine). However, it is obvious that these data do not take into account the attacks on the energy infrastructure that were inflicted on September 11-12 (Kharkovskaya CHPP-5, Zmievskaya CHPP, Pavlodarskaya CHPP-3, Kremenchugskaya CHPP). In general, the damage and reduction in the capacity of the energy system looks monstrous for Ukraine and it is not entirely clear how, against this background, Zelensky manages to sell electricity to Europe.

    But, firstly, sales will soon stop, which Zelensky has already warned Europe about : "We will not have enough volume to heat our homes, and this time is approaching." Secondly, the energy system of Ukraine is losing capacity simultaneously with a decrease in consumption. At the beginning of October, there were 4.2 million Ukrainian citizens in the EU who received the status of temporary protection. According to GMK Center's spring assessment , WBO has reduced electricity consumption by 40%. Then it recovered, but even at the end of August it was 30% lower than last year's figures.
    [...]
    Yury Korolchuk, an expert at the Institute for Energy Strategies, urges people to be prepared for five-six-hour rolling blackouts. But rolling blackouts for Ukraine are not new, but the realities of the last few years. Moreover, this year firewood (of which 7-7.5 million cubic meters are going to be stored) began to appear in reports on the procurement of fuel for the winter, and the mayor of Lviv said back in August that the city was buying potbelly stoves and storing fuel for them.
    [...]
    What about gas? In the summer, Naftogaz asked [July] for several billion dollars to purchase 5-7 billion cubic meters of gas in order to bring reserves to 19 billion cubic meters. But there was no money for this - and by now only 14 billion cubic meters have been accumulated.

    On the one hand, the situation here is approximately the same as with electricity: consumption is falling. Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, Lugansk[,] and Kharkiv regions are either completely written off the balance sheet, or supplies to them will be cut to a minimum. "In most cities of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv regions[,] and Zaporozh* there will be no heating. There will be no gas in winter, there will be electricity periodically," such a frightening forecast was published in the Legitimny Telegram channel. ... The Delo publication publishes news [6 Oct], the essence of which is that Naftogaz is delaying the conclusion of gas supply agreements with gas distribution companies in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. ...


    Forum-energii.eu
    by Cat on Mon Oct 10th, 2022 at 08:49:26 PM EST
    footnote (none / 1)
    Reuters | Gas price talks resume, Kiev rejects latest Russian offer, 11 July 2014
    The European Commission, the EU executive, took on the role of brokering trilateral price talks after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested three-way negotiations, but five rounds so far have failed to get a deal.
    [...]
    Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk at a cabinet briefing on Wednesday made clear Ukraine rejected Russia's offer to lower gas prices by removing export duty, a measure that would not be written into the contract and was therefore at the whim of Moscow. ...
    Ukraine votes to keep western companies out of gas industry, 25 July
    Ukraine's parliament has rejected allowing EU and US companies to buy up to 49 percent of oil and gas company Naftogaz, and also said they were against liquidating the national energy monopoly.

    Kiev rejected splitting the company in two, a measure encouraged by the West in order for Naftogaz to comply with Europe's third energy package, which doesn't allow one single company to both produce and transport oil and gas.
    [...]
    There had been rumors the state would sell off at least 15 percent of Naftogaz in a public offering, however, the conditions in Ukraine's capital and equity market aren't strong enough to get a high enough price.
    [...]
    Ukraine's Rada needed a minimum of 226 votes to support the reform, but only 94 deputies were "for" the change. In the first reading, it received 229 of the 226 votes [?] required to restructure the company. Voting bloc dynamics changed on Thursday after the ruling coalition dissolved itself triggering an early parliamentary election after the government resigned.

    Following the rejection of privatizing Naftogaz, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk announced his resignation as head of the government. The vote took place among other proposed budget reforms, defense spending, as well as a discussion on how to tackle Ukraine's gas debt.

    Naftogaz's debt to Russia now exceeds $5 billion. Crippled finances prevent the company from paying for Russian gas supplies, much of which have already been delivered....

    Reuters | Naftogaz bondholders reject debt freeze, Kyiv rejects payment plea, 25 July 2022
    Ukraine's state-owned energy company Naftogaz looked to be on the brink of default on Monday, after bondholders refused its two-year debt freeze plan and the government rejected a last minute request to change course and keep making its payments.

    Naftogaz said in a statement that with so few bondholders supporting its debt freeze proposal ahead of a deadline on Tuesday, the "required quorum" needed to pass the plan was "not expected to be met."....

    Bloomberg Law | Naftogaz Offers Debt-Freeze Plan With Government Blessing, 2 Aug
    Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy put forward a new debt-freeze plan, which has government backing and largely mirrors the postponement in debt payments the sovereign seeks to secure in separate talks with its creditors....
    euronews | Ukraine faces key test on debt freeze plan in bid to avoid messy default, 9 Aug
    When announcing its proposal, Ukraine's finance minister Sergii Marchenko said it had "explicit indications of support" from some of the world's biggest investment funds including BlackRock, Fidelity, Amia Capital[,] and Gemsstock.

    Creditors of Ukravtodor and Ukrenergo, two state-owned firms that have government guarantees on their debt, also have until Aug. 9 to vote on a plan similar to the sovereign....

    Reuters | Ukraine's creditors agree 2-year freeze on $20 billion overseas debt, 12 Aug
    With no sign of peace or a ceasefire on the horizon nearly six months after Russia's invasion began, holders of around 75% of the outstanding total agreed to Kyiv's proposal, documents showed.

    "Ukraine will save almost $6 billion on payments," said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in a statement. "These funds will help us maintain macrofinancial stability, strengthen the sustainability of the Ukrainian economy and improve the power of our army."...

    by Cat on Mon Oct 10th, 2022 at 10:05:22 PM EST
    [ Parent ]
    Ener*oatom gets a pass | fail exam: Casualty (none / 1)
    stretch goals
    IAEA | IAEA Mission Reviews Finnish Regulatory Framework for Nuclear Safety, 14 Oct best practices
    by Cat on Fri Oct 14th, 2022 at 03:43:16 PM EST
    Casualty | 79 comments (79 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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