The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report on the state of the Zaporozhye NPP, which the mission visited in early September. The report says that the station violated all seven nuclear safety rules and there is a risk of a "nuclear incident" if the shelling does not stop.
The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented, the report says. This is the first time that a military conflict has taken place at the facilities of a major active nuclear power program. A nuclear accident can have serious consequences both inside and outside the country.
“The IAEA will continue to provide its unique services to Ukraine and the world community both during this tragic conflict and after it. The current situation is unacceptable, and the best solution to ensure the security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and its population would be to end the armed conflict." The IAEA notes that it is necessary to take temporary measures to prevent a nuclear accident, including the need for a buffer zone.
The international mission also noted that the personnel, working in such conditions, show stamina and endurance.
The report lists the objects that suffered from shelling.
- Turbine lubricating oil tanks.
- The rooftops of several buildings, including a garage where spent fuel transport vehicles are located.
- A building where fresh nuclear fuel and solid spent fuel are stored.
- The new building of the educational complex.
- Building with emergency systems for the physical protection of the station.
- A container containing a radiation monitoring system. Next to it is a dry storage facility for spent fuel.
Complete mission summary
An unprecedented situation has developed in Ukraine. For the first time in history, a military conflict erupted on the territory where objects of a large-scale developed nuclear program are located. A nuclear accident can have serious consequences for the country and beyond, so the international community relies on the IAEA to carefully assess the situation and provide timely and accurate notification of its development.
From the very beginning of the conflict, the IAEA has been monitoring the nuclear safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities. Through the Center for Incidents and Emergencies (CIAC), the IAEA Secretariat receives information from the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine and regularly updates the data on the IAEA website.
Crucially, the IAEA has now succeeded, through the ZNPP Support and Assistance Mission, in establishing an agency presence at ZNPP to help stabilize the situation. The mission will also allow the agency to closely monitor the situation at the site, receiving information directly, quickly and from reliable sources.
Mission experts at the ZNPP will carry out in-depth and continuous work to assess the physical damage caused to the plant facilities, verify the functionality of the main and backup nuclear and physical safety systems and analyze the working conditions of the plant employees, and will also carry out activities to ensure IAEA safeguards at the facility.
The IAEA remains deeply concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhya NPP – this has not changed. All seven basic principles of nuclear safety are violated at the facility. In this regard, the IAEA has made recommendations on each of the seven principles.
The IAEA managed to send two missions to the site of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The Agency will continue to provide assistance and support in securing the site.
Despite unprecedented circumstances, Ukraine's remaining three operating NPPs (Rivne, Khmelnytsky and Yuzhno-Ukrainsk) have continued to operate without breaches of nuclear and physical safety since the beginning of the conflict.
Employees of all nuclear facilities in Ukraine consistently show resilience and endurance, maintaining the operation of facilities in accordance with safety standards.
The IAEA has developed a specific and detailed plan of action to assist Ukraine in ensuring the safety and security of its nuclear facilities, as well as radioactive sources. In particular, deliveries of equipment have begun, primarily through the Response and Assistance Network (RANET). The willingness of the IAEA member states to provide assistance to Ukraine and maintain close cooperation with it will play a key role.
Despite difficult circumstances, the IAEA will continue to ensure the implementation of nuclear safety guarantees in Ukraine, including within the framework of the mission to the ZNPP. The agency found no signs of a danger of nuclear proliferation.
By virtue of its unique mandate, the IAEA is the only independent international technical organization that regularly publishes information on the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and radioactive sources and has assumed a key role in coordinating and providing technical assistance and assistance to Ukraine.
The IAEA will continue to provide its unique services to Ukraine and the international community both during the current tragic conflict and beyond. The current situation is unbearable, and the best way to ensure the safety and security of the nuclear facilities of Ukraine and its people is to immediately end the armed conflict.
Until the conflict has ended and conditions have stabilized, temporary measures must be taken urgently to prevent a nuclear accident caused by physical damage to a facility during hostilities. To do this, you must immediately establish a security zone. The IAEA is ready to immediately begin consultations on the urgent establishment of a nuclear safety zone around the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
