IAEA Warns of Nuclear Accident at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant
The IAEA is highly alarmed by conditions at the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya, where staff overload and central warning and alarm systems threaten human error that could trigger a nuclear accident. To secure Europe's largest nuclear power plant, immediate measures, including a safety zone around the plant, are to be introduced to prevent a disaster.
Immediate measures are needed to prevent a nuclear disaster, including a safety zone around the plant, the IAEA says. / Picture: © IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency / Flickr Attribution (CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
There have been numerous shelling incidents at or near the power plant over the past month, causing damage to the facility and raising concern about the risk of a severe nuclear accident. Bombardment of the plant and surrounding area must "cease immediately" to prevent renewed damage, the IAEA said.
In its report on the condition of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expresses concern of an imminent nuclear accident. Immediate measures are needed to prevent worse, including a safety zone around the nuclear plant, the IAEA said, summarizing its findings after it visits the nuclear plant last week with experts and the IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi himself.
The staff at all of #Ukraine’s nuclear facilities have continued to show endurance and resilience in keeping the sites running in a safe and secure way amid the conflict, and the IAEA salute them.
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 6, 2022
The IAEA is ready to immediately establish a safety zone around the power plant. The situation at the power plant is very worrying. The investigation also found damage near the total of six reactors and nuclear waste storage sites, it added. Some work has already been carried out to repair the damage, but it has not yet been completed, it said. The building housing the warning system was also damaged.
I have just addressed the #UNSC and launched a proposal to create a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone (NSSPZ) in #Zaporizhzhya. This is based on the findings from our mission to the power plant there, outlined in our new report. https://t.co/duM5UQYQrU
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 6, 2022
Director General Grossi addressed the United Nations Security Council and submitted a proposal to establish a nuclear security protection zone in Zaporizhzhya.