2023-05-31 00:52:00
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Argentine Rafael Grossi, warned this Tuesday, before the UN Security Council that safety at the strategic Zaporizhia nuclear plant remains “extremely fragile and dangerous”and susceptible to a major accident that would aggravate the war between Ukraine and Russia and cause global commotion.
Grossi stressed that in up to seven times -the last one barely a week ago- the plant located in the Ukraine thatwas disconnected from the electrical networkhaving to rely on emergency diesel generators.
For the head of the nuclear agency, this situation represents “the last line of defense against a nuclear accident.
“Military activities continue in the region and could increase considerably in the near future; the plant has been operating with significantly reduced staff and, despite being temporarily closed, this is not sustainable,” he said.
The official recalled the seven points to ensure nuclear safety during an armed conflict, among which are effective surveillance systems, the full operation of facilities and the physical integrity of reactors or radioactive waste repositories.
In this way, Grossi reiterated that the Zaporizhia plant “not to be used as a storage or base for heavy weapons” and stressed that, in the interest of maintaining nuclear safety, “there should be no attacks of any kind from or against the plant”.
“I ask the distinguished members of the Security Council to support them without ambiguity. Let me say something very clear: These principles are not to the detriment of anyone, but to the benefit of all,” Grossi concluded, quoted by the Europa Press news agency.
A few days ago, Grossi had slipped the possibility that the zone of safety around the plant fiercely disputed between Russia and Ukraine be implemented before the end of the year.
He indicated that he was multiplying his efforts so that both Russia and Ukraine, as well as the rest of the international community, support the IAEA’s proposals to prevent the hostilities in Ukraine from leading to a major accident.
He argued that the importance of creating a security zone around the plant is crucial due to the fact that “the risk of an emergency continues to grow every day.”
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, is located in the province of the same name located in the southeast of Ukraine, near the city of Energodar.
Russia and Ukraine regularly accuse each other of bombing their facilities, located in an area controlled since March 2022 by Kremlin troops.
Moscow maintains that its military presence at the plant is intended to prevent leaks of nuclear and radioactive materials, but kyiv denounces constant attacks that even cause civilian casualties, in addition to material damage.
The IAEA has been trying for months to speed up the creation of a security zone around the site.
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