UN nuclear watchdog the IAEA has said the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is a “deep source of concern” after a power line was damaged.
The plant, under Russian occupation since 2022, is the largest such facility in Europe and is receiving power from just one off-site line after its only remaining backup power line was damaged on February 11, the nuclear agency said.
Although the plant’s six reactors ceased generating electricity over two years ago as a result of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the facility still needs power for cooling and safety purposes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: “The vulnerability of the external power situation remains a deep source of concern for nuclear safety.”
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said the disconnection of the backup power line last week was the result of “unspecified military activity” and that it had been damaged, the agency added in its statement.
On-site IAEA staff reported hearing explosions in recent days, including one close to the plant on February 12, the day of a suspected drone attack in the area.
The disconnection of the power line is the latest in a series of similar incidents at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has lost off-site power eight times in the last three years, according to the UN watchdog.
The IAEA has inspectors stationed at the facility as part of an agreement with Ukrainian and Russian officials to help ensure nuclear safety.
Shelling and drone strikes around Ukraine’s various nuclear power plants have been a major source of concern throughout the course of the war, with Moscow and Kyiv frequently blaming each other over damage incidents.
Last week, a drone strike damaged a protective dome at the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in 1986.
The dome, which caught fire following the strike, was designed to prevent radiation leaks. Authorities said radiation levels are within normal limits and that there is no threat to the population.
Although the plant’s six reactors ceased generating electricity over two years ago as a result of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, the facility still needs power for cooling and safety purposes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: “The vulnerability of the external power situation remains a deep source of concern for nuclear safety.”
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said the disconnection of the backup power line last week was the result of “unspecified military activity” and that it had been damaged, the agency added in its statement.
On-site IAEA staff reported hearing explosions in recent days, including one close to the plant on February 12, the day of a suspected drone attack in the area.
The disconnection of the power line is the latest in a series of similar incidents at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which has lost off-site power eight times in the last three years, according to the UN watchdog.
The IAEA has inspectors stationed at the facility as part of an agreement with Ukrainian and Russian officials to help ensure nuclear safety.
Shelling and drone strikes around Ukraine’s various nuclear power plants have been a major source of concern throughout the course of the war, with Moscow and Kyiv frequently blaming each other over damage incidents.
Last week, a drone strike damaged a protective dome at the defunct Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in 1986.
The dome, which caught fire following the strike, was designed to prevent radiation leaks. Authorities said radiation levels are within normal limits and that there is no threat to the population.
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