There was no damage to reactors at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station – IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi
There was no damage to reactors at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, and no radioactive material was released when a military projectile hit a neighboring structure on the site, according to UN atomic chief Rafael Grossi.
After Ukrainian authorities reported a confrontation with Russian soldiers near Europe’s largest power plant, which is operating at only a fraction of its capacity with one of its six units still operational, two members of security staff were hurt when the projectile impacted overnight.
Grossi, the chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), exhibited an overhead image of the site and the structure that was destroyed, a training center next to but separate from the row of reactor units, at a press conference called on short notice.
“This projectile, according to what we’ve learned, is a Russian-made weapon. We don’t know what kind of projectile it was “Grossi went on to say that the site’s radiation monitoring system was in good working order.
“Of course, we are lucky that there was no radiation discharge and that the reactors’ integrity was not jeopardized,” he continued.
On Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed the incident on “saboteurs” from Ukraine. Reuters was unable to independently verify the incident’s details. find out more
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the first time a conflict has erupted in a country with such a sophisticated and well-established nuclear power program. The largest of Ukraine’s four operational nuclear power stations, Zaporizhzhia provides nearly half of the country’s electricity.
Grossi proposed a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian authorities at the decommissioned Chernobyl power station, where Russia has taken radioactive waste facilities near the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 so that they could pledge not to jeopardize Ukraine’s nuclear security.
‘NOT NORMAL’ is a phrase that describes a situation that is out of the ordinary
Despite Grossi’s repeated requests, the Chernobyl staff has not been rotated out since it was seized last week. Zaporizhzhia is in a similar predicament in that Russia owns it, but Ukrainians continue to run it.
“For the time being, the operations are conducted entirely by Ukrainians. What we have in this circumstance right now… is that Russian armed personnel have effective control of the site in Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia. I think this clarifies the distinction “Grossi remarked.
His suggestion of a meeting at Chernobyl was being considered by Russia and Ukraine. Grossi pleaded with both sides not to battle near Zaporizhzhia overnight.
“I’m very worried about it. As a situation, this is extremely delicate and unstable “On Friday, he stated.
“Right now, we’re dealing with a normal abnormality, if I may use that term. I said normal operations (at Zaporizhzhia) the other day in my statement (to the IAEA Board of Governors), but there is nothing normal about this.”
