Precarious working conditions, constant shelling, unsafe external power supply – according to the IAEA, the risk of a nuclear accident has increased again at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Ambassador Benno Laggner paints a worrying picture.
SRF News: The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, informed the Board of Governors about the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. You were there. What do you know?
Benno Laggner: Last Friday it was reported that the external power supply was completely interrupted. This is very serious. Of course, there are still emergency generators that run on diesel. If they are used, you are really one step away from a very bad situation.
The situation has eased a bit, but it is still very critical.
In the meantime, a line has been repaired, so the situation has calmed down a bit, but it is still very critical.
How concerned are you that a nuclear accident will occur?
Of course you can’t rule it out. The focus now must be on creating a nuclear safety and protection zone. The system must be prevented from being shelled and the power supply must be guaranteed.
The focus now must be on creating a nuclear safety and protection zone.
Director General Grossi told us that he is also in contact with Ukraine, Russia and other states that can influence this. A resolution is also being prepared to be put to the vote. It calls on Russia to stop activities that endanger the nuclear power plant. That is currently the focus.
The IAEA has had two experts permanently in Zaporizhia since last week. What can they do on site?
So presence is of course very important. Due to the presence of the IAEA, we have an independent assessment of the situation by our employees on site. They provide fast, independent and precise information, so that we can independently inform the world public and correspondingly also political authorities.
How are the staff of the nuclear power plant?
You have to imagine that the factory is occupied by Russian soldiers. It also has Russian experts in Zaporizhia, we don’t know exactly what their function is. The employees also live near the nuclear power plant, in the town of Enerhodar, which itself is also under fire.
People are under a lot of stress and it’s very dangerous because it makes them prone to make mistakes.
Of course, the employees are also constantly worried about their relatives. Because the city of Enerhodar is being shelled, there are also difficulties with changing staff. People are under a lot of stress and it’s very dangerous because it makes them prone to make mistakes.
On the IAEA Board of Governors, did you ever think you might face this scenario?
no We all knew that we also discuss difficult issues in the Board of Governors, for example the case of Iran. But nobody would have imagined that we were dealing with a conflict situation in a country with a major nuclear program.
The conflict now directly affects a running nuclear power plant, even a plant with six reactors, nobody would have imagined that.
The conflict now directly affects a running nuclear power plant, even a plant with six reactors, the largest plant in Europe, nobody would have imagined that. It really is an unprecedented situation.
The conversation was led by Barbara Lüthi.