Problems have arisen with the Westinghouse fuel at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, which was loaded there last month

Problems have arisen with the Westinghouse fuel at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, which was loaded there last month.

Ukrainian Telegram channels have reported on this issue.

“Right now, the station is in a state of emergency, and there is a threat of shutting down the power unit. Specialists from the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant and the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant have been urgently summoned to assist. They will try to rectify the situation,” journalists report.

Additionally, a Swedish delegation is expected to visit the station this week. It appears that despite the extensive preparation for loading Westinghouse fuel into the Soviet-designed VVER-440 reactor, no one was adequately prepared for unforeseen situations with the new fuel.

“Employees simply do not know what to do and how the reactor might behave. Despite three emergency situations in the past two weeks, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has not been informed, and there are no plans to notify them,” journalists add.

As a result of these issues, a schedule for power outages is being prepared in the Rivne region, and the start of the heating season is likely to be delayed.

Large enterprises have not been informed yet, except for military facilities, where generators are currently being actively transported. It is worth noting that the potential disaster could extend beyond just the Rivne region, but authorities are choosing to keep information about the possible threat under wraps for now.