Ukraine reactor stopped after water leak: officials

A leak of radioactive water on Tuesday caused the shutdown of a nuclear reactor in western Ukraine but posed no risk to the environment, officials said.

By Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published June 9, 2008

A leak of radioactive water on Tuesday caused the shutdown of a nuclear reactor in western Ukraine but posed no risk to the environment, officials said.

A senior official at the Rivne nuclear power plant who declined to give his name said 1.3 cubic meters of water escaped from the pipe used to cool the reactors, but remained within a sealed area.

The leakage "did not exceed permitted norms," state nuclear operator Energoatom said in a statement. "The reactor was stopped. No increase or radioactivity was registered at or near the plant," it said.

Scene of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown in 1986, Ukraine currently produces around half of its electricity from nuclear power.

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Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team

The Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Nuclear Power Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.