Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that radiation levels remained safe after a fire broke out at a nuclear power plant, leading to the shutdown of one of the reactors.

The fire, which was extinguished within an hour, began late Monday at the Rivne nuclear power station in western Ukraine, around 300 kilometres (190 miles) from Kiev.

It erupted in an electrical transformer, triggering the reactor protection system and "the third reactor was turned off," Ilona Zayets, a spokeswoman for the state nuclear agency Energoatom, told AFP on Tuesday.

"Radiation levels have not risen," she said, adding that no one was hurt as a result of the incident.

She said the causes are being investigated.

The level of seriousness of the incident on the international scale for emergencies at nuclear stations is zero, the nuclear agency said in a statement.

The third reactor remained switched off on Tuesday because the transformer needs to be replaced.

Ukraine currently operates four nuclear power plants with a total of 15 reactors. Rivne power plant has four reactors.

Nuclear power is an important energy source for Ukraine, accounting for around 50 percent of its electricity production.

Ukraine was the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster when one of the reactors at Chernobyl power station, which is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Kiev, exploded in 1986 during testing.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Nuclear fuel removed from crippled Japan plant
Tokyo (AFP) April 15, 2019
The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima power plant on Monday began removing atomic fuel from inside a building housing one of the reactors that melted down in 2011. The delicate operation represents the first time the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has pulled out fuel rods from inside a highly contaminated building containing the melted-down reactor, and comes four years behind schedule. Due to high radiation levels, technicians used remote-controlled equipment to haul fuel from a "storage ... read more