IAEA: Safety at Zaporozhye NPP Still at Risk

The conflict in Ukraine and hostilities in the vicinity of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) continue to pose a security threat.

“For more than two years, nuclear security in Ukraine has been under constant threat. We remain determined to do everything we can to help minimize the risk of a nuclear accident that could harm people and the environment, not only in Ukraine,” explains Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“So far, we have managed to stabilize the situation, but as we have also seen this week, nuclear security in Ukraine remains extremely vulnerable. We can’t afford to let our guard down for a minute.”

Zaporozhye NPP is the largest in Europe, and IAEA experts stationed at the plant warned of continuous explosions during the last week of March that continued to be heard every day last week; an air raid at the site was also announced on March 27.

IAEA technicians continue to conduct regular inspections, and “the IAEA team has not found any nuclear safety concerns,” the agency said in a statement. “However, ZNPP has still not provided IAEA experts with timely and adequate access to all important nuclear safety areas, including some parts of the machine rooms, the insulation door of the ZNPP cooling pool, and the 330 kV switchgear of the nearby Zaporozhye CHPP. The IAEA is aware of news and photos circulating on social media regarding the presence of troops and equipment in one of the machine rooms of ZNPP.”