Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant shuts down 4th reactor

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Economic Publication date: Mar 29, 2000

Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS

Enerhodar (Zaporizhzhya Region), 29th March, ITAR-TASS correspondent Anatoliy Gordeyev: Reactor No 4 at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, one of the largest in Europe, was shut down completely today. Output was reduced by a third yesterday in order to eradicate a leak from one of three oil coolers of a circulating pump at a pumping station situated on a canal bank.

However, it had become clear by yesterday evening that the reactor would have to be shut down altogether for the pump supplying the turbine to be properly repaired. The ITAR-TASS correspondent learnt from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant's information centre that the shutdown occurred without any breach of safety limits or standards. The reactor is expected to be switched back on later on today.

The total discharge of radionucleids into the atmosphere from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant today was 0.1 per cent of permitted levels. Background radiation on the floor of the plant is 12 microroentgens per hour which is in line with the natural background radiation at the site of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant.

Three of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant are now functioning and their total capacity this morning was 2,990 MW. The plant produced almost 89,000,000 kWh of electricity over the past 24 hours.

Publication date: Mar 29, 2000 ) 2000, NewsReal, Inc.

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