VIENNA (Reuters) – The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday there were growing threats to Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant following bombings on power infrastructure in the nearby town of Enerhodar.
Off-site power lines to the plant have already been cut and the bombings on Enerhodar have caused a lasting outage.
This situation has forced Ukraine to declare that it may have to shut down the last operating reactor supplying Zaporizhia, including the plant’s nuclear fuel cooling systems.
“This situation is untenable and is becoming more and more precarious. Enerhodar is in the dark. The plant has no power outside the site. damaged again,” Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said in a statement.
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling near Zaporijjia, in southern Ukraine, and in the perimeter of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which has six reactors.
“It’s totally unacceptable. It can’t last,” said Rafael Grossi.
“I therefore urgently demand the immediate cessation of all bombardment in this perimeter. This is the only way to ensure the safety of the operating personnel and to allow the lasting restoration of power to Enerhodar and to the plant.”
Rafael Grossi called this week for the creation of a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around Zaporizhia.
The operator of the Zaporizhia plant is not convinced that the offsite power supply can be restored, which prompts him to consider closing the last reactor in operation, explained Rafael Grossi.
“The entire plant would then be entirely dependent on emergency diesel generators to provide vital nuclear safety and security functions. Therefore, the operator would not be able to restart the reactors unless the power supply was off. site is reliably restored,” he added.
Russia, through its ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed its support for Rafael Grossi’s appeal.
“We fully support the request and demand of the Director General of the #IAEA for the immediate cessation of the shelling of the city of Enerhodar as well as the #ZNPP” declared on Twitter Mikhail Ulyanov.
(Report Francois Murphy; French version Tristan Chabba, edited by Sophie Louet)