dpa
Kiev
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it "sees no critical impact on safety” at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant and that the radioactive material there can still be stored safely, despite a power failure.
Power lines were damaged by shelling, according to Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenerho, while fighting north of Kiev is currently preventing any repair work as Russia continues its invasion of its neighbour.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that diesel generators could compensate for the power outage for 48 hours. "After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent,” he said.
"Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately!” he said of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
However, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said this "development violates key safety pillar on ensuring uninterrupted power supply,” but in Chernobyl, the spent fuel elements were in sufficiently large volumes of cooling water for effective heat removal even without electricity, the agency said.
IAEA also expressed concern that 210 technicians and local safety staff have been on duty continuously for almost two weeks, as there has been no shift change since Russian forces took control of the facility almost two weeks ago.
They have water and food, but their situation is deteriorating. In addition, the IAEA has lost contact with its monitoring equipment, which ensures that all nuclear material is in place.
Kiev
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it "sees no critical impact on safety” at Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant and that the radioactive material there can still be stored safely, despite a power failure.
Power lines were damaged by shelling, according to Ukrainian grid operator Ukrenerho, while fighting north of Kiev is currently preventing any repair work as Russia continues its invasion of its neighbour.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that diesel generators could compensate for the power outage for 48 hours. "After that, cooling systems of the storage facility for spent nuclear fuel will stop, making radiation leaks imminent,” he said.
"Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately!” he said of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
However, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi said this "development violates key safety pillar on ensuring uninterrupted power supply,” but in Chernobyl, the spent fuel elements were in sufficiently large volumes of cooling water for effective heat removal even without electricity, the agency said.
IAEA also expressed concern that 210 technicians and local safety staff have been on duty continuously for almost two weeks, as there has been no shift change since Russian forces took control of the facility almost two weeks ago.
They have water and food, but their situation is deteriorating. In addition, the IAEA has lost contact with its monitoring equipment, which ensures that all nuclear material is in place.