Ukraine: Global Epicenter of Nuclear Risks, Warns IAEA
World
Ukraine continues to be the world’s largest nuclear risk hotspot, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said at a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna.
According to Grossi, in recent months the IAEA had to coordinate four separate temporary ceasefires between Ukraine and Russia to allow repairs to the power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The most recent of five such repairs was completed on January 19, after which the plant was reconnected to its final backup power line. Until then, operations relied on the only remaining line supplying cooling systems for the six shut-down reactors.
The IAEA chief also noted that the agency is closely monitoring how plant personnel cope with harsh winter conditions, including preventing the cooling pond and irrigation basins from freezing. He emphasized that only a ceasefire can guarantee safety and prevent a potential nuclear incident.
The Board meeting was convened at the initiative of 12 countries — Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania; the United States did not join the initiative.
Russia’s representative at the IAEA, Mikhail Ulyanov, disagreed with the overall assessment, claiming that reports of high nuclear danger in Ukraine are false and that Ukrainian nuclear plants are capable of handling the effects of Russian attacks on substations.
The IAEA chief also noted that the agency is closely monitoring how plant personnel cope with harsh winter conditions, including preventing the cooling pond and irrigation basins from freezing. He emphasized that only a ceasefire can guarantee safety and prevent a potential nuclear incident.
The Board meeting was convened at the initiative of 12 countries — Belgium, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania; the United States did not join the initiative.
Russia’s representative at the IAEA, Mikhail Ulyanov, disagreed with the overall assessment, claiming that reports of high nuclear danger in Ukraine are false and that Ukrainian nuclear plants are capable of handling the effects of Russian attacks on substations.
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