The International Atomic Energy Agency has undertaken to further expand its assistance to Ukraine by taking a more proactive stance in the protection of the country’s vital energy infrastructure to ensure it does not impact nuclear safety. This follows a number of missile attacks that have either directly caused the disconnection of several nuclear power reactors, or led to dangerous instability of the national grid, said IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said after meeting president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on 3 September.
The most recent large scale attack occurred on 25 and 26 August when at least seven people were killed and dozens wounded as over 200 missiles and drones were launched at targets across Ukraine on 25 August, followed up by a second wave of strikes early on the morning of 26 August.
The main target was the power infrastructure, causing widespread blackouts, as the entire country was put under air raid alert. Russia confirmed it had launched attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure – one of its long-term tactics – and said all its targets were hit.
An IAEA expert team will soon travel to some of the damaged Ukrainian sub-stations that have been identified as essential for nuclear safety. They will assess the situation at these sites and report back to headquarters for possible follow-up actions.
“The safety of operating nuclear power plants is dependent on a stable and reliable connection to the electricity grid. As a result of the war, the situation is becoming increasingly vulnerable and potentially even dangerous in this regard. I agreed with president Zelensky that the IAEA will widen its determined activities to help prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict and look closer at this important aspect of nuclear safety and security,” director general Grossi said.
During the same visit he also examined a cooling tower at Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP) to assess the damage it suffered in a major fire last month, the latest incident underlining persistent nuclear safety and security dangers at the site during the war.
