The nuclear power plant Of Zaporizhzhia, the scene last week of an internal fight between Russian and Ukrainian troopsno longer broadcasts i monitoring data to the International Atomic Energy Agency. There is not just the disconnection of Chernobyl from the eletricity grid to hold one’s breath in the Agency’s headquarters in Vienna. The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossiin fact, it has been said “worried” from the interruption of the flow of data in the two sites, “where there is a large amount of nuclear material”. The confirmation came in the evening from a long press release fromIaea in which it is confirmed that the power plant of the 1986 disaster no longer has an external energy supply and that Zaporizhzhia, on the other hand, is disconnected from international monitoring.
Grossi recalled that “theenergy supply safe outside the grid for all nuclear sites ”was one of seven essential pillars of safety nuclear power which he outlined at a meeting of Council of Governors of the IAEA last March 2nd. The disconnection, explains the Ukrainian regulator Energoatom together with the Agency itself, it should not have “a critical impact on safety functions essential “of the plant. “In particular, with regard to the plant of fuel storage out of stock, the volume of thecooling water in the pool is sufficient to maintain effective removal of the heat from the fuel exhausted without a supply of electricity – continues the Iaea – The site also has emergency power supplies reserve with diesel generators and batteries “. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the backup generators “have a capacity of 48 ore to power the plant ”and“ subsequently, the cooling systems will stop, making radiation losses imminent ”.
But the Atomic Energy Agency believes, however, that the lack of power is “likely” to lead to a further one deterioration from the operational safety give her radiation at the site and create additional stress for approx 210 technical experts and guards who have not been able to rotate in the last two weeks, ”explained Grossi. “From day to day we see a worsening of the situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in particular for radiation safety and for the staff managing the facility in extremely difficult and demanding circumstances “, he said, launching a “Urgent appeal” so that the Russian troops that control the plant “respect the internal procedures of radiation protectionfacilitate the safe rotation of personnel and take other important measures to ensure safety “.
The problem linked to Zaporizhzhia, where “in the last few days has lost the transmission of remote data from its security systems installed to monitor the nuclear material at the plant “. The reason for the interruption – explains the International Agency in a note – “was not immediately clear” since reception continues to take place from other nuclear plants in Ukraine. “There remote transmission of data from IEAA security equipment located at nuclear sites around the world is one important component of our safety implementation, “said Grossi, noting that the data allows us to” monitor nuclear material and activities at these sites when our inspectors are not present “. Among other things, explains Iaea, the flow of data makes it possible to verify that “countries respect theirs legal obligations international to use material e nuclear technology just for peaceful purposes “.
The spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Maria Zakharovain a press conference, according to reports from the state agency Tasshe said: “Having a developed nuclear industry, Russia is fully aware of the potential risks to nuclear infrastructures and is doing its utmost to ensure the adequate safety of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities ”. Zakharova also claimed that the Moscow armed forces took control of the two Ukrainian power plants “solely to prevent the Ukrainian nationalists and other terrorist formations as well as foreign mercenaries can take advantage of the situation created in the country to organize nuclear provocations, and these risks really exist ”.
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