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Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

reuters.com

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Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A few artillery shells probably won't breach the containment. Missile shielding is part of the plant design (I don't know what level of shielding; US plants are designed to withstand a strike by an airliner). Not saying that the attack is thus acceptable, just saying that it will take a concerted effort to breach the containment.

How old's the plant? To what design is it built? I feel like the CFIT design basis is already a little optimistic, but we also don't know that that was the design basis in this case.

completed in 1989, with a 6th reactor added in 1995.

For what it's worth, the russian convoy is firing on the administrative building, not the power units themselves, but I don't know specifically what is in said admin bldg or what the ramifications for operation/shutdown of the power units/cooling systems works if the admin building burns down and/or gets shot up.

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#113

God damn, is the Russian army really this stupid? Is this an act of desperation, ignorance or spite?

A lot of what people believe about what's happening at the plant is based on the statements of Ukrainian officials, who by some accounts are using it to call for NATO to impose a no-fly zone. A disaster at this plant would cause huge problems for DNR/LNR/Crimea, which Russia does not want. Amid the fog of war it's often a good idea to take a step back and wait for more evidence to present itself.

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#114
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If an unprotected solar farm gets hit by a plane, some property damage happens. If an unprotected nuclear reactor were to get hit, we all know what would happen.

the danger of radiation has been greatly exaggerated and pales in comparison the existential risk of climate change. even accounting for black swan events like getting hit by an airliner, coal plants emit drastically more radiation than nuclear. it's not a rational risk assessment. making nuclear energy economically unfeasible by mandating that things be drastically overbuilt has doomed us all to climate catastrophe

I don't disagree that nuclear energy is good; I'm pointing out that you're strawmanning. A solar farm doesn't have to be protected from missiles, because if it gets hit with missiles, only it is destroyed. It harms nothing around it, if it gets destroyed or fails in some fashion.

If you want to represent nuclear, do it honestly; there are a million reasons why it's a good thing, a weak strawman doesn't help your case.

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#116
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Russia may be just trying to take it off line.

they could blow up the substation connecting it to the grid in that case.

That's not the point. People don't really seem to get that Russia is basically a terrorist state right now. The goal is not only to cut power but to terrorize - striking a nuclear plant and preventing firefighters from intervening is, as you currently see, scary as fuck. They're sending a message.

If you want an actual explanation for the extension of NATO into the former communist countries, look no further. East Europeans have a collective memory about how the Russian military operates.

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#117
post #55
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. So what’s the historical norm on those numbers?

0.1 microsieverts (uSv) per hour is normal background radiation rate. Right now in my apartment (far from Ukraine) the dose rate is 0.12 uSv/h.

Is there a map service you're using to find the radiation levels at your apartment?

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#118
post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The radiation numbers look similar to Feb 26 based on Wayback machine's last crawl.

The best containment domes won't survive persistent shelling. I can't conceive of a valid reason for shelling a nuclear power plant.

It's an awfully effective way to distract people from focusing on defending the perimeter of whatever city they're trying to defend

Re: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe's largest

#120

God damn, is the Russian army really this stupid? Is this an act of desperation, ignorance or spite?

A lot of what people believe about what's happening at the plant is based on the statements of Ukrainian officials, who by some accounts are using it to call for NATO to impose a no-fly zone. A disaster at this plant would cause huge problems for DNR/LNR/Crimea, which Russia does not want. Amid the fog of war it's often a good idea to take a step back and wait for more evidence to present itself.

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