Reactor No. 3 of Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plant (NPP) automatically reduced output to 590 MW at 10:45 p.m. local time on Jan. 11 as a result of the shutdown of main circulation pump No. 1 by the automatic protection system, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine reported on its website.
In keeping with the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES), this event is rated as “below the scale/level 0,” the inspectorate said.
“The protection system has responded flawlessly; a commission has been set up to investigate into the causes of the event. The radiation background on Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP’s site is unchanged, physical protection works in usual mode,” it said.
As of Jan. 12 morning, 11 out of 15 power units of four working nuclear power plants in Ukraine were in operation. It is the 67th day of an overhaul at Khmelnytsky NPP’s unit No. 1 (until Jan. 30), 62nd day of the overhaul at Zaporizhia NPP’s unit No. 6 (until Jan. 17), 36th day of scheduled repairs to Rivne NPP’s unit No. 3 (until July 23), 14th day of scheduled repairs to Rivne NPP’s unit No. 1 (until Feb. 6).
