“Let me be clearthe bombing around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant must stop and a nuclear protection and safety zone must be agreed upon immediately.” The words of the director general of the IAEA -the UN nuclear agency-, Rafael Grossi, could hardly be more forceful.
This Friday he wanted to make a dramatic warning about the possibility of an accident at the Ukrainian nuclear plant in Zaporizhia, occupied by Russia, after a bombardment cut off the external electrical connection with the plant.
“Because of the increase and continuity of the bombardments, there is little chance of restoring a reliable off-site power supply of the atomic plant”, assured the head of the International Energy Agency (IAEA), describing the situation as “completely unacceptable”.
“This dramatic event demonstrates the absolute need to establish a nuclear security protection zone. It is the only way to guarantee that we do not face a nuclear accident,” Grossi concluded his written statement, which was accompanied by a video.
“A nuclear power station should never be an instrument of war. Their fate must not be decided by military means. The consequences of such actions are too serious. The IAEA is at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and can facilitate the implementation of the area. There is no time to waste,” he concluded.
destroyed infrastructure
The IAEA has since the beginning of the week to two of its experts located in the Ukrainian plantwhich inform the organism about what happens there.
“The electrical infrastructure that feeds Enerhodar, where the nuclear power plant operators and their families live, has been destroyed by the bombing of the city’s thermal power plant, which has caused a total blackout in Enerhodar: there is no running water, no electricity, no sewerage,” Grossi explained.
As a result, warns the director general, “the IAEA understands that the (Ukrainian) operator, no longer having confidence in the restoration of external power, is considering shutting down the only reactor that remains in operation”.
According to the IAEA, the plant would then rely entirely on emergency diesel generators to ensure vital nuclear safety and security functions.
As a consequence, Grossi’s note adds, “the operator would not be able to restart the reactors unless off-site power is reliably restored.” On the other hand, he warns that thousands of the plant’s Ukrainian employees live in Energodar.
Staff Availability
The poor conditions there increase the risk that the availability of essential personnel to continue operating the plant safely will be affected.
“It is a unsustainable and increasingly precarious situation. Enerhodar has gone dark. The plant has no external power. And we have seen that once the infrastructure is repaired, it is damaged again,” Grossi warned.
“Therefore, I urgently call for the immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area,” he demanded.
“Only then can ensure staff safety operational and allow the lasting restoration of energy in Enerhodar and in the power plant,” said Grossi, who did not identify the perpetrators of the bombings.
Since March 4, the Russian army has occupied the Zaporizhia plant, the largest in Europe, with six reactors and some 10,000 employees, who operate it, and for a month Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of the attacks around the central.
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