The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces, has “lost connection again” to the electricity grid, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose experts are on site, announced in a statement on Saturday. The last line still in operation “has been damaged”, explained the IAEA, recalling that the other three had been “lost previously during the conflict”.
This incident occurred “after new bombardments in the area”, according to information provided by the Ukrainian authorities to the UN body. However, the site continues to operate “thanks to a help line”, specifies the IAEA. Already on August 25, the plant, the largest in Europe, was completely disconnected from the Ukrainian network for the first time in its history, before being reconnected.
IAEA chief ‘very worried’
The situation of the Zaporijjia power plant (south) worries many international leaders. The two belligerents accuse each other of having carried out the bombings which targeted the site, and of risking triggering a nuclear catastrophe. The UN nuclear policeman is now informed almost in real time thanks to his team who arrived this week with Director General Rafael Grossi, “very worried” about the risk of a major nuclear accident.
If Rafael Grossi left after a few hours, six experts are still on site, two of whom will stay “continuously”, a presence “of capital importance to help stabilize the situation”, according to the head of the IAEA. After inspecting the facilities, Rafael Grossi said he found that the “physical integrity” of the plant had been “violated several times”, denouncing an “unacceptable” situation. However, he did not name the responsible party, while Russians and Ukrainians have been accusing each other for weeks of bombardments on the site. This announcement comes as Ukraine said on Friday that it had hit a Russian base in Energodar (south), not far from the power plant.