A safety zone needs to be established immediately around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to prevent a disaster, the head of the UN atomic watchdog has warned. Russian troops seized the plant in the south-eastern city of Enerhodar in early March, soon after Vladimir Putin's invasion.
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia last month in the latest stage in their efforts to inspect conditions at the embattled plant. Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA director, said in a statement today (September 9) that there is little likelihood of re-establishing reliable offsite power lines to the plant and its Ukrainian operator is considering shutting down the only remaining operating reactor.
This would leave the plant fully reliant on emergency diesel generators to provide electricity for vital nuclear safety functions. "This is an unsustainable situation and is becoming increasingly precarious," Mr Grossi said.
"The power plant has no offsite power. And we have seen that once infrastructure is repaired, it is damaged once again.
"This is completely unacceptable. It cannot stand."
Mr Grossi called for an "immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area" and the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone. "This is the only way to ensure that we do not face a nuclear accident," he said.
