Belarus to restore power supply to Chernobyl nuclear power plant

Specialists from Belarus will reconnect the old Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which exploded in 1986, to the power grid, reports the Ministry of Energy in Minsk. Ukraine had expressed serious concerns about potential radiation leaks from the systems down, although the international nuclear agency IAEA said there was “no critical impact on security”.

The Russian Ministry of Energy had previously reported that Belarusians had already completed the repair, but this was contradicted by Ukraine’s nuclear authorities. A renewed call for a ceasefire around the plant also came from that country.

Ukraine had already called for a ceasefire on Wednesday to allow for repair work, which was prevented by fighting north of Kiev. The plant itself has been in the hands of Russia for two weeks, which say Ukrainian soldiers have attacked the power supply.

The nuclear power plant, which itself has not been generating electricity for years, can run for 48 hours on emergency generators. Chernobyl was the worst nuclear disaster in history in 1986. Because of the war in Ukraine, countries worldwide are concerned about the safety of the nuclear power plants in the country. In addition to those at Chernobyl, Russian troops have also captured the working Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.