Ukraine Reactor Shut Down After Fire

Paraphrased by:
Steve Waldrop
January 6, 2004

A short circuit sparked a transformer fire at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, prompting the shutdown of a reactor, news reports said.

The fire caused one of the reactors at the Rovno plant in western Ukraine to be shut down, according to an unnamed spokesman at the state nuclear energy company Energoatom.

The incident disabled an electric transformer that fed electricity to the power-generating unit. A fire broke out and no power could each the unit. Three diesel-powered generators went on-line automatically that usually keep the unit operational in emergencies. The fire burned for more than 30 minutes before it was extinguished.

Officials said the accident did not increase radiation levels at the plant. Plant and Energoatom officials could not be reached for comment.

The reactor is expected to be off-line until January 10. Out of Ukraine’s 13 operating power-generating units, ten are operational at present. Power-generating unit four at the Zaporozhye nuclear power station and power-generating unit three at the Southern Ukrainian nuclear power plant are currently undergoing maintenance.

Ukraine was the site of the world's worst nuclear accident in April 1986, when a reactor at the Chernobyl plant exploded. The plant closed in 2000.