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Nuclear Watchdog's Report On Zaporizhzhya Says Current Situation Is 'Untenable,' Calls For Security Zone [1]
['Rfe Rl']
Date: 2022-09
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the current situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya power plant is "untenable" and there is "an urgent need for interim measures" to avoid a nuclear accident.
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The UN atomic watchdog urged Russia and Ukraine on September 6 to establish a “nuclear safety and security protection zone” around the plant and said shelling at the site and its vicinity should stop immediately to avoid any further damage to the facility and for the safety of its operating staff.
The IAEA released the report following a recent visit by UN inspectors to the plant, which has been taken over by Russia's military but is operated by Ukrainian technicians. It said the best action to ensure the safety of the plant and all other Ukrainian nuclear facilities "would be for this armed conflict to end now."
The IAEA said it is ready to "immediately" start consultations leading to the "urgent establishment" of a security zone at Zaporizhzhya, Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
The report said the situation is unprecedented in that it is the first time a military conflict has occurred amid the facilities of a large nuclear power program.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi, who led the inspection team last week, was due to brief the UN Security Council later on September 6 on his findings. Two inspectors from the IAEA mission are still at the plant.
Shelling continued around the plant on September 6, a day after it was again knocked off Ukraine's electrical grid and left to rely on its own power to run its safety systems.
The report also listed damage to parts of the plant and recommended improvements in conditions for the Ukrainian staff operating the facility, saying they are "under constant high stress and pressure" that "could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety."
With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
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[1] Url:
https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zaporizhzhya-un-report-nuclear-disaster/32021246.html
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