It is reported that the installation is currently operating on emergency diesel generators.
As a result of the morning shelling of Kharkiv, the nuclear subcritical installation "Neutron Source" is de-energized. According to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate, the emergency power supply system worked in a standard mode: emergency diesel generators were put into operation, and the radiation situation at the site is currently "within normal limits."
The research nuclear installation "Neutron Source" operates based on the National Scientific Center "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology." This is a subcritical reactor controlled by an accelerator, primarily designed for conducting scientific and applied research in the field of nuclear physics, radiation materials science, biology, chemistry, as well as for the production of medical radioisotopes.
Even at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the personnel transferred the installation to a deep subcritical state. In March 2022, the building of the "Neutron Source" UAPU was targeted by shelling — at that time, the north wall of the accelerator annex to the experimental hall of the installation, ventilation ducts, the ventilation pipe of the main building, the cooling system of the klystron gallery of the accelerator, the housings of the emergency diesel generators of the emergency power supply system, and the cladding of the main building were damaged. During further inspection of the industrial site, the staff discovered an object preliminarily classified as an unexploded reactive projectile of the 9K58 BM-30 "Smerch" BM-30 Multiple Rocket Launcher system.
The building was attacked again on June 25, 2022, and finally on April 4, 2023, during the attack on Kharkiv by "shahids," the installation lost external power supply.
"Despite the fact that in its operational state the installation does not pose any danger, at the same time, if for some reason there is a physical destruction of this installation, the release of fuel, radioactive elements outside is possible, and this is, of course, a big problem for the environment. Actually, the situation is the same as at nuclear power plants…," noted in a comment to "Suspilne" the director of the National Science Center "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology" Mykola Shulha.
It should be reminded that on the night of March 22, Russia carried out the most massive attack on the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, hitting, among other things, the DniproGES — at the same time, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP was on the verge of a blackout. Energy facilities in Kharkiv were also affected, leading to 700,000 subscribers being without electricity — today's, yet another attack by the 'shahids' on the city, besides the temporary blackout for the "Neutron Source," resulted in the death of four people, including three SES workers, and damage to residential buildings.
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