Ukraine has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the new bombing on the Zaporizhia nuclear plant (the most recent on Saturday) have not produced an increase in radiation levels at the site, the UN nuclear agency said in a statement issued in Vienna on Sunday. It has also been stated by Russian Defense Ministry.
According to the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, all security systems continue to function at the plant, the largest in Europe. The bombings occurred on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, although Ukraine still does not have complete information on the nature of the damage, the IAEA chief stressed, reports Efe.
According to information received from Ukraine, the plant has access to electricity after the plant temporarily lost connection to the last 750-kilovolt external power line on Thursday.
The two reactor units that were then disconnected from the electrical grid they operate again again after being connected on Friday.
The bombardments affected the area of the two so-called “special buildings” of the plant, located about a hundred meters from the reactor buildings.
There are water treatment plants, equipment repair shops and waste management facilities.
No hydrogen leaks
All radioactivity measurements are within normal and no indication of any hydrogen leakGrossi assured, citing information received from Ukraine.
The CEO highlighted in his note that this week’s incidents show once again the risk of a possible nuclear accident on this floor, ccontrolled by Russia since March but operated by Ukrainian staff.
Grossi said he is continuing his consultations with all parties with the aim of sending an IAEA expert mission to the plant in the coming days to help ensure nuclear safety there. The mission will evaluate the physical damage suffered, determine if the security and protection systems are working and evaluate the working conditions of the personnel.
For his part, the Russian Ministry of Defense has pointed out in a statement collected by the TASS agency that “at present, technical personnel supervise the technical state of the nuclear power plant full time and ensure its operation”. “The radiation situation in the area of the nuclear power plant remains normal,” they highlight.
Nevertheless, Moscow has denounced new Ukrainian attacks against the facilities, specifically two artillery shells that hit near reactor number 6 and a pumping station for cooling the plant, respectively. And shortly after, the Russian administration in the city of Energodar, near the plant, reported the shooting down of an unmanned aircraft loaded with explosives launched by Ukraine against the facilities.
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“The target was a spent nuclear fuel storage facility, as evidenced by the flight path,” according to a statement also collected by TASS. “There is no record of deaths or injuries,” he adds.
Ukraine has not responded to these latest accusations and has limited itself to denounce, on the other hand, new Russian attacks andn the vicinity of the plant, as reported by local authorities in a statement collected by the Ukrainian portal Golos. “In the early hours of August 28, 2022, the Russian Army attacked the city of Zaporizhia with a Kh-22 missile, hitting a housing community,” they say, without giving information on victims.
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