Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. IAEA: Nuclear safety situation at Zaporizhia NPP is deteriorating Peace and Security
The nuclear safety situation at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Ukraine, is deteriorating, said Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A drone reportedly dropped a projectile on a road running alongside the ZNPP power units on Saturday.
“We are once again seeing an escalation of the nuclear safety threats facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint on all sides and for strict adherence to the five specific principles established to protect the plant,” Grossi said.
Earlier today, an IAEA team of experts at the Zaporizhzhya NPP received information from plant staff that a projectile delivered by a drone had exploded near the plant’s protective zone. It occurred near the cooling ponds and about 100 meters from the Dneprovskaya transmission line, the only remaining 750-kilovolt line supplying electricity to the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
An IAEA team immediately went to the scene and reported that the damage was apparently caused by a drone equipped with an explosive. There were no casualties and no damage was done to the Zaporizhzhya NPP equipment. However, the road between the two main gates of the Zaporizhzhya NPP was damaged.
The IAEA mission to Zaporizhzhya NPP also reported that military activity in the area, including near the plant, had been intense over the past week. Experts heard frequent explosions, heavy machine gun and rifle fire, and artillery fire at various distances from the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
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“Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient to technical failures, human error, and external events, including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and nor should they be, nor should any other energy facility in the world,” Grossi said.
“This latest “The attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the volatile situation,” he added.
In addition, this week Grossi continued to discuss recent developments in the Russian Federation, including military action near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. He expressed his readiness to assess the situation, including by visiting the plant.