Grossi states nuclear safety threat at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant escalates
Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General (Getty Images)
The nuclear safety situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is under Russian occupation, is deteriorating. This is due to today's drone strike on a road surrounding the plant's territory, states Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” Grossi said.
Grossi added that he remains extremely concerned and reiterated his call for maximum restraint from all parties as well as strict adherence to the five specific principles established to protect the plant.
The IAEA Director General’s statement came after the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant's team informed representatives of the Agency's Support and Assistance Mission on Saturday, August 17, about the detonation of a drone-loaded explosive near the plant’s security perimeter.
It was reported that the impact site was near the sprinkler ponds used for cooling water and approximately 100 meters from the Dnipro power transmission line. This is the only remaining 750-kilovolt (kV) line supplying power to the plant.
The IAEA disclosed that the team immediately visited the area and reported that the damage was likely caused by a drone equipped with an explosive charge.
"There were no casualties and no impact on any NPP equipment. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of ZNPP," the Agency's post stated.
Situation at the nuclear power plant
It was also reported that military activity in the area, including near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, had been intense over the past week.
"The team has heard frequent explosions, repetitive heavy machine gun and rifle fire and artillery at various distances from the plant. There is no sign of the military activity in the vicinity of ZNPP abating, despite Director General Grossi’s repeated calls for restraint," the IAEA stated.
Additionally, a week ago, the Russian staff at the occupied plant informed the IAEA team that an artillery shell had allegedly struck a local power substation and a water pumping station in the nearby town of Enerhodar.
As a result, two transformers were reportedly damaged, causing a power outage across the city, which is under Russian control. The power supply was restored the following day, on August 11.
The IAEA also recalled a fire at one of the plant's cooling towers earlier this week, which caused significant damage, although there was no immediate threat to nuclear safety.
"Also this week, IAEA teams maintaining the Agency’s continued presence at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine NPPs, as well as at the Chornobyl site, reported frequent air raid alarms and drone attacks," the Agency added.
Furthermore, the Agency mentioned that Grossi discussed the situation in Russia’s Kursk region, where fighting continues, and expressed his readiness to visit the local nuclear power plant in the city of Kurchatov to assess the situation.
What preceded this
On August 16, Russian propaganda media began circulating claims about Ukraine allegedly preparing provocations at the Zaporizhzhia and Kursk nuclear power plants, and repeated false statements about dirty bombs.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation have already issued statements refuting these propaganda claims.
Additionally, the Ukrainian side points out that such statements from Kremlin-controlled media could indicate that Russia might be preparing a nuclear provocation at either the Kursk or Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants to blame Kyiv.
