Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Nightmare: Europe’s Largest Reactor Now on Emergency Power
Situation Overview: The Zaporizhzhia plant sits near Energodar on the Dnipro river in occupied Ukraine. It was capable of powering 4 million homes before the war. Russian forces seized it in March 2022; its six VVER-1000 reactors were immediately shut down, cutting off a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity output reuters.com reuters.com. Even idle, the reactor cores and adjacent spent-fuel pools contain hot radioactive material that needs cooling. Normally this cooling comes from electric pumps powered by the grid. Since the latest power line was severed on Sept. 23, those pumps have instead been run by diesel generators reuters.com reuters.com. Zelenskiy’s Alarm: In his nightly