The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues to warn of a dangerous situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops.
“Nuclear safety at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant remains in a precarious state,” said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi yesterday, according to a statement from his organization. “I again call for a commitment from all sides to ensure nuclear safety and the protection of the power plant.”
Power supply permanently critical
For three weeks now, the nuclear power plant has only been supplied with electricity via a remaining external main power line, said Grossi. If it gets damaged, it will lead to a total failure of the external power supply. The last remaining emergency power line in the nuclear power plant, which has been damaged since March 1, remains switched off and is currently being repaired. “This shows once again how endangered nuclear safety is in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” said Grossi.
On March 9, the plant was already eleven hours without an external power supply when the main power line was interrupted. As a result, it was dependent on its diesel-powered emergency generators for reactor cooling and other important nuclear safety functions, the IAEA said. According to the Ukrainian operator, the nuclear power plant was cut off from the regular power supply as a result of a large-scale Russian rocket attack.
Stress as an additional risk factor
Grossi also warned of the pressure that nuclear power plant personnel are exposed to. The reduced workforce combined with the
psychological stress from the ongoing military conflict is affecting nuclear safety and power plant protection.
With six blocks and an output of 6000 megawatt hours (MWh), Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian control for a good year after the Russian invasion. All reactors have now been shut down and are only being cooled and monitored. Incidents of artillery fire had fueled international concerns about a nuclear catastrophe.
