IAEA team heard artillery fire near ZNPP
Kyiv • UNN
Members of the IAEA team heard artillery fire near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on August 6, which lasted for over an hour. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed deep concern about the military activity near the plant.
On August 6, members of the IAEA team heard artillery fire that lasted a little over an hour, coming directly from near the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
This was reported by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, according to UNN.
Members of the IAEA team were inspecting the ZNPP dry spent fuel storage facility when they heard artillery fire that lasted a little over an hour, starting at approximately 10:40 a.m. local time
Grossi stated that signs of military activity occurring very close to this large nuclear power plant are a matter of deep concern.
As I have repeatedly stated, maximum military restraint near nuclear power plants is imperative to prevent the risk of a nuclear accident
It is noted that the latest incident occurred just days after the team reported to ZNPP about shelling occurring near the station's transport department, located outside the site perimeter.
The IAEA team reported hearing sounds of military activity daily over the past week, once again highlighting the fragility of the nuclear safety situation.
The situation with the facility's external power supply also remains extremely vulnerable, as the station has relied on a single external power transmission line for three months now. Before the conflict, it had access to ten external lines for reactor cooling and other critical functions
Over the past week, IAEA staff at ZNPP conducted a tour of some of the facility's hydraulic structures. Access to the cooling pond isolation gate is still pending. The team is monitoring the situation with cooling water and its use throughout the facility.
At the operating Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) – Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine – three of the nine power units remain shut down for refueling and maintenance.
IAEA teams at these NPPs and the Chornobyl site reported hearing air raid sirens almost daily over the past week. At the Khmelnytskyi NPP, the team had to take shelter three times.
Addition
Ukraine and France continue cooperation to ensure nuclear safety.