The nuclear safety of Ukraine’s Zaporijia power plant is in a “precarious state,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Grossi warned in a statement Wednesday.
According to the agency the factory’s “last emergency power line”, damaged since March 1, is still “out and under repair”. With the line, the power station can guarantee nuclear safety as a last resort, namely by cooling the reactors.
“Russia is endangering the security of the entire European continent,” warns Josep Borell
During the past three weeks, the plant relied on electricity supplied from a single 750 kilovolt (kV) external trunk line, and “any damage [a esta linha] will result in the total loss of all external power to the control panel”.
“Nuclear safety at the plant remains in a precarious state,” said Grossi. “I appeal once again to all parties to commit themselves to ensuring the nuclear safety of the plant,” he added.
On March 9, the power station, occupied by the Russian army, was cut off from the Ukrainian power grid for eleven hours after a Russian attack.
According to Energoatom, which manages the facility and warned of the risk of a nuclear accident, emergency diesel generators were turned on to provide minimal power to the protection systems.
“We are playing with fire,” warned Grossi.
The High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borell, agreed: “This is a serious breach of nuclear safety, caused by Russia. (…) Zaporijia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. And Russia brings the safety of the entire European continent, including Russia”.
Without the electricity produced by these generators, overheating of the reactor fuel could quickly lead to a nuclear accident, in a scenario similar to Japan’s Fukushima plant in 2011.
Source: DN
