“We are on borrowed time”, the head of the IAEA warns

The IAEA director warned of “severe consequences for human health and the environment” if the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is not secured.

Via Le Figaro with AFP

Published 04/13/2023 at 22:47Upgrade On 04/13/2023 at 22:50

We “On Borrowed Time” About “Security” of Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in UkraineTwo mines recently exploded near it. “If we don’t act to protect the plant, sooner or later our luck will run out with serious consequences for human health and the environment.”Rafael Grossi warned in a statement released in Vienna, where the IAEA is headquartered.

“Great Risk”

“We are on borrowed time with respect to nuclear safety and security at Zaporizhia Power Station.”, the largest in Europe occupied by the Russians since March 2022, he added, reiterating the fears his organization had already expressed on several occasions. Two landmine explosions occurred outside the fence surrounding the site, the first on April 8 and the other four days later, the report said. Raffaele Grossi, who met with Russian officials in Kaliningrad (western Russia) last week, said it was still unclear what sparked the explosions. He had earlier visited the Zaporizhia power plant for the second time since the start of the war in Ukraine.

“Read more – War in Ukraine: Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has become a “Russian military base,” a Ukrainian official said.

The IAEA director also warned on Thursday that the site has six reactors that depend on one power line that still operates. “Great Threat to Nuclear Safety and Security”. The emergency power line that was damaged on March 1 has not yet been repaired, the UN said. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted that the staffing situation at the plant is ongoing “complicated and difficult”including due to staff shortages.