“Speaking on January 30, Grossi said the IAEA remains focused on preventing a nuclear accident as hostilities continue to threaten critical infrastructure”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
During a Jan. 30 speech, Grossi said the agency remains focused on preventing a nuclear accident as hostilities continue to threaten critical infrastructure.
“The conflict… continues to pose the greatest threat to nuclear security in the world,” the IAEA director general said.
Read also: Shmygal told the head of the IAEA about Russia’s preparations for strikes on substations of Ukrainian nuclear power plants
He added that IAEA teams remain deployed at all nuclear power plants in Ukraine and regularly publish updates on the state of nuclear safety.
According to Grossi, a key element of security is a reliable external power supply for the NPP. He emphasized the importance of power substations throughout Ukraine, which are also a critical link of nuclear safety. “Their damage undermines nuclear safety and must be avoided,” he said. The IAEA’s expert mission is currently assessing 10 substations vital for nuclear safety against the backdrop of Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure, the director general said.
“The best way to guarantee nuclear security is to end the conflict,” Grossi emphasized.
Read also: Zaporizhzhia NPP will require “special status” in the event of a peace agreement – Grossi
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia is trying to harm Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, Russia is considering strikes on nuclear power plant substations to force Ukraine to sign capitulation demands to end the war.
At the same time, Russian forces seized Europe’s largest Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant with six reactors in the first weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The plant does not generate electricity, but each side regularly accuses the other of hostilities that threaten nuclear safety.