Early Friday, Ukrainian officials reported a fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Here's what we know about the facility:
Where is the plant? It's located in the city of Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine, some 70 miles (112 kilometers) from the city of Zaporizhzhia. Six power units are in operation at the facility, with the first coming online in 1984, according to Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear power operator.
How much power does it generate? The plant generates 40-42 billion kWh, which accounts for one-fifth of the average annual electricity production in Ukraine and almost 47% of electricity generated by Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
The plant has capabilities “for continuous radiation monitoring of the nuclear power plant industrial site, the sanitary protection and 30-kilometers radiation control zones,” according to Energoatom. There is also a dry storage facility onsite for spent fuel.
What's the biggest concern? National security analyst Joe Cirincione told CNN he was “very concerned” about the blaze." There are multiple ways this could get very terrible very quick,” he said.
He warned the plant could see a nuclear meltdown if the electricity or plumbing to the facility get cut off. Cirincione added that if the Russian military wants to take the plant offline, they should capture the facility rather than physically attack due to the dangers involved.
“If those fuel rods are still in the reactor and you cut off the electricity, then you're cutting off the cooling system that controls the reaction and you'll be unleashing an uncontrollable nuclear chain reaction in that facility. You will have a meltdown,” he said.
But we don't know enough yet: Nuclear policy expert Graham Allison told CNN that "not all fires at a power plant have catastrophic consequences." A disaster would depend on where the fire is located, whether staff are able to take the appropriate measures, and several other factors — including how many reactors were impacted, he said.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant seen on July 9, 2019. (Dmytro Smolyenko/Future Publishing/Getty Images)