The IAEA team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) this morning heard several rounds of outgoing artillery fire coming from very near the site perimeter, the latest stark reminder of persistent nuclear safety dangers during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The IAEA team members were conducting a walkdown at the ZNPP’s dry spent fuel storage facility when they heard artillery fire for just over an hour from around 10:40am local time.
“Indications of military activity taking place very close to this major nuclear power plant are deeply concerning. As I have repeatedly stated, maximum military restraint near nuclear power plants is a must in order to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident,” Director General Grossi said.
The latest incident came just a few days after the team was informed by the ZNPP of shelling taking place near the plant’s transportation department, located outside the site perimeter.
Further underlining the fragile nuclear safety and security situation, the IAEA team reported hearing military activities every day over the past week.
The site’s external power situation also remains extremely vulnerable, with the plant relying on a single off-site power line for three months now. Before the conflict, it had access to ten off-site lines for reactor cooling and other essential functions.
Over the past week, IAEA staff at the ZNPP conducted a walkdown of some of the site’s waterwork facilities. Access to the cooling pond isolation gate is still pending. The team is following up on the cooling water situation and its usage across the site.
At Ukraine’s operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – three of their total of nine units remain in shutdown for refuelling and maintenance.
The IAEA teams at these NPPs and the Chornobyl site reported hearing air raid alarms nearly every day over the past week. At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, the team had to shelter three times.
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