IAEA expresses serious concern over loss of off-site power at Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
, home to the operators of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and their families,
the electricity infrastructure supplying the city was destroyed by shelling at the switching station of the thermal power plant, resulting in a total power outage at Enel Godard: no Tap water and electricity are also not available for sewage treatment.
Given that shelling continues and increases, there is little chance of re-establishing reliable off-site power for the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, especially if shelling continues and repeatedly damages the power infrastructure.
or will shut down the only remaining reactor
The IAEA has learned that nuclear power plant operators have lost confidence in restoring off-site power and are considering shutting down the only remaining operating nuclear reactors. By then, the entire nuclear power plant will be completely dependent on emergency diesel generators to ensure critical nuclear safety and security functions. As a result, operators will not be able to restart reactors unless reliable off-site power can be re-established.
Difficulties for power station workers and their families
In addition, there are signs that the increasingly dire situation facing the residents of Enel Godard is likely to lead to a shortage of the necessary staff on site to continue operating the plant safely and securely.
IAEA Director General Grossi said: "This situation is unsustainable and increasingly unstable. Enel Godard has had a complete power outage. There is no off-site power at the nuclear power plant. And we have seen that once the infrastructure is repaired , it will be destroyed again."
"This situation is completely unacceptable and unsustainable," he stressed.
Renewed call for cessation of military action
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly warned that any damage to Zaporozhye or any other Ukrainian nuclear facility could lead to a widespread catastrophe; he also called for an agreement on the demilitarization of the plant's perimeter.
In a statement, Grossi urgently called for an immediate end to all shelling of the entire city of Anière Godard. He pointed out that the only way to ensure the safety of operating personnel, and to restore the power of Enel Godard and the nuclear power plant lasting.
Establishment of nuclear safety and security reserves
"This sudden development shows that it is now absolutely necessary to establish a nuclear safety and security sanctuary," Grossi said.
"This is the only way to make sure we don't face a nuclear accident
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Ukraine: IAEA expert team arrives in Zaporozhye
According to the news released by the International Atomic Energy Agency, its "support and assistance mission" arrived in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporozhye on Wednesday. But there is no firm word on when the 14-member team will travel to the city's nuclear power plant to carry out its work.
Working hours may be extended
However, Grossi told reporters that the work of the expert group will last for several days and may be extended further if it can continue to stay.
After the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant was quickly controlled by Russia, but it was still Ukrainian technicians who operated the nuclear power plant. Russia and Ukraine have been blaming each other for perpetrators since reports of shelling around the plant earlier this month, and concerns have continued over the risk of a nuclear disaster at Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
fact and will
Asked if he believed Russia would allow the panel to see what's really going on at the plant, Grossi responded, "I brought the best experts in maintenance, safety and security, and we'll find out. everything that happened here."
Grossi was also asked by reporters how the panel could help nuclear power plants avoid worrisome core meltdowns or nuclear accidents. "It's a question of political will, and it's about the countries involved in this conflict, especially Russia, which occupies nuclear power plants," he said.
Grossi personally led a group of 13 IAEA experts from Vienna on Monday and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine the next day.
The route and mode of transportation of the group from Kyiv to Zaporozhye were not disclosed to the outside world. However, at a regular noon press conference on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Spokesman Dujarric said that the expert group should have crossed the front lines of the conflict by road, and the United Nations Secretariat provided logistical and security support for this.
Next, the main tasks of the expert group will include assessing the recent physical damage to the nuclear power plant due to shelling, determining the operating status of the nuclear power plant's safety and security systems, assessing the working conditions of Ukrainian staff and carrying out some urgent maintenance work
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