No one benefits from nuclear accident at Zaporizhzhia NPP - IAEA Director General

Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been without external power supply for over a week, the longest such event in more than three and a half years of war. The situation is unstable in terms of nuclear safety. This is stated in a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) dated September 30.

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with representatives of Ukraine and the aggressor country of russia to discuss the situation with nuclear safety and protection at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to him, it is necessary to restore the power supply to the plant, which has been absent since September 23, as soon as possible.

"Although the plant is currently running on its emergency diesel generators - the last line of defense - and there is no immediate danger as long as they continue to operate, this is clearly not a sustainable situation from a nuclear safety perspective. Neither side benefits from a nuclear accident," Grossi said.

While the emergency diesel generators are maintaining the safety and cooling of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the condition of the reactors and spent fuel remains stable, but without power supply in the event of a complete blackout, the nuclear fuel could melt, the IAEA Director General stressed. Grossi called on the russian federation and Ukraine to cooperate and carry out repair work to prevent a nuclear accident.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on September 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a critical situation had developed at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On September 29, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine stated that the actions of the aggressor country of russia pose major threats to nuclear and radiation safety at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

On September 23, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced a blackout at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.