Ukraine shuts down nuclear reactor after fire: report

["Gerry Blackwood" <gpblackwood@justice.com>]

Ukraine shuts down nuclear reactor after fire: report



http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040106123318.ye7ad0h4.html



KIEV (AFP) Jan 06, 2004

Ukrainian authorities shut down a reactor at a nuclear

plant at Rivne, in the west of the country, after a

fire broke out in a transformer, but no radioactivity

was released in the incident, the daily Segondya

reported Tuesday.

The fire at reactor number one occurred late Sunday. It

was rapidly put out and the reactor was shut down

immediately, the newspaper said.



Officials at Rivne were not available to comment on the

report as Tuesday was a bank holiday in Ukraine.



The Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Monday reported the

shutdown but said it was caused by a breakdown in a

transformer.



A commission has been set up to investigate the causes

of the fire, Segodnya said.



The reactor will be reactivated in the next few days

after the transformer has been repaired, Interfax

reported.



The plant has three VVER-440 heavy water reactors. A

fourth block is currently under construction and is

expected to come onstream later this year.



Ukraine's four nuclear power plants provide roughly

half of its power requirement.



In April 1986 a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power

plant in northern Ukraine caught fire, causing the

world's worst nuclear disaster.



The plant was closed down in December 2000 after the

international community offered substantial financial

aid.



_________________________________________________

FindLaw - Free Case Law, Jobs, Library, Community

http://www.FindLaw.com

Get your FREE @JUSTICE.COM email!

http://mail.Justice.com

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To

unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the

text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail,

with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/