The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, this Thursday reaffirmed his concerns about the safety of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporijia, following the recent explosion of two mines near the site.
“If we do nothing to protect the plant, sooner or later our luck will change, with potentially serious consequences for human health and the environment,” Grossi warned in a statement released in Vienna, the headquarters of the IAEA, and repeated the already dreaded expressed several times by the organization.
“The dependence on “s #Zaporizhia Nuclear power plant on a few still functioning high-voltage lines poses a major risk to nuclear safety and security. IAEA experts on the ground are still hearing shelling in the area and land mines outside the perimeter fence.”@rafaelmgrossihttps://t.co/UdENyUCSsK pic.twitter.com/t5K6C3yEni
– IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) April 13, 2023
The factory in Zaporinjia, the largest in Europe, has been occupied by the Russians since March 2022.
According to the statement, two landmine explosions occurred near the facilities, the first on April 8 and another four days later.
It is still not known what triggered the explosions, emphasized Grossi, who met senior Russian officials in Russia last week after visiting the factory for the second time since the war began.
The IAEA director also warned that the facilities, which house six nuclear reactors, remain dependent on a single working power line, posing “a major risk to nuclear safety”.
Another emergency power line was damaged on March 1 and has still not been repaired, according to the UN organization.
The IAEA noted that the staffing situation at the center remains “complex and difficult”, with a shortage of workers.
Source: DN
