Nuclear Catastrophe Threatens Zaporizhzhia - Humanitarian Corridor for Evacuation Needed Now

The WSJ reports that the remaining operating reactor at Zaporizhzhia will likely be shut down, which will necessitate continuous re-supplies of fuel for back-up generators. This is a catastrophic situation and all civilians within a hundred miles should be evacuated now:

Drew Hinshaw and Laurence Norman Sept. 9, 2022 Ukraine Considers Shutting Nuclear Plant After Loss of Backup Power. The Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-considers-shutting-nuclear-plant-after-loss-of-backup-power-11662747396?mod=hp_lead_pos6

After shelling destroys key electricity supply, Zaporizhzhia facility may have to rely on generators with 10 days of fuel left

...The Zaporizhzhia plant is now producing a minimal 250 megawatts, enough to monitor and sustain the temperature of its cooling ponds, to pump water through the station, to clean the air inside the plant, and to perform other basic safety functions, said Petro Kotin, interim president of Energoatom. If the last operating reactor goes down, he said, the staff will need to supply 200 tons of diesel each day to the generators. The IAEA said in a report Tuesday Ukraine had 2,250 tons of diesel fuel available for the whole site.

Procuring more would require several truckloads of fuel to cross through an active conflict area subjected to continual artillery fire, multiple times a day. “There are no such logistics,” Mr. Kotin said. “The plant is operating as an island.”

… Shutting down the plant, in the midst of an active conflict, would pose enormous and unprecedented challenges for the nuclear industry. Defunct or dormant nuclear plants still require electricity and careful maintenance by trained staff to monitor and safeguard spent nuclear fuel, among other safety operations. The plant currently suffers obstacles sourcing the spare parts and fuel that would be required....