Nuclear reactor shut down in Ukraine on Chernobyl's anniversary eve
KIEV, Ukraine, Apr 25, 2000 (AP Worldstream via COMTEX) -- Workers shut down a
nuclear reactor Tuesday at Ukraine's Yuzhnaya atomic power plant over
malfunctions in its cooling system, the reactor's second unexpected shutdown
this month, officials said.
Yuzhnaya's reactor No. 3, a Soviet-era VVER-1000 model, was stopped before dawn,
the state nuclear company Energoatom said. It did not say how long repairs were
due to last.
The same reactor was stopped for repairs a week ago following a generator
failure. Another Yuzhnaya reactor, No. 1, has malfunctioned at least twice this
year before being stopped this month for planned repairs.
The reactor shutdown at Yuzhnaya came less than a day before the former Soviet
republic prepared to hold mourning ceremonies to mark the 14th anniversary of
the Chernobyl explosion and fire, the world's worst nuclear accident.
Chernobyl's reactor No. 4, an outdated RBMK model, exploded and caught fire
during an ill-conceived experiment on April 26, 1986, sending a radioactive
cloud over much of Europe.
However, the energy-starved Ukraine continues to heavily rely on nuclear power.
Its five nuclear power plants have 14 operational reactors, including one that
continues to work at Chernobyl, and account for about 40 percent of the
country's energy needs.
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