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Ukraine war: ‘Seven pillars’ used to assess safety of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as conflict rages on | World News


UN nuclear experts have given their assessment of the safety situation at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia power plant – and say its “physical integrity” has been “violated” in weeks of fighting nearby.

Both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the damage caused by shelling, with fears of a radioactive disaster in the area.

Offering his analysis of the safety and security of Europe’s largest nuclear plant, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi outlined “seven pillars” for assessing the situation, with a traffic light color coding system.

Mr. Grossi headed an IAEA team that visited the plant to check its safety after Russia seized it early in the invasion, and for the welfare of the Ukrainian staff still working there.

Speaking in Vienna, Austria, he said six of his experts from the United Nations nuclear watchdog remained and the agency was establishing a permanent presence at the plant, where two experts would meet. continue their work there.

The IAEA sets out seven & # 39;  indispensable pillars & # 39;
Picture:
IAEA sets out seven ‘indispensable pillars’

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Here are the ‘seven pillars’:

:: 1. Physical integrity of facilities – “a big red”.

There has been military activity around the plant. The team saw impact holes and marks on buildings from shelling.

That means the physical integrity of the facility has been violated not once but many times, Mr. Grossi claimed.

“Obviously there’s a lot of fighting in the area,” he told reporters.

Speaking about the increase in military activity in the region, he said “this worries me a lot”, adding that the shelling began in August and is likely to cause a lot of material damage. more for the factory.

:: 2. Safety and security system – amber.

“Most of them are up and running relatively well, but there have been outages, some related to physical cable breaks… and some systems have not returned to full operation,” he said. whole”.

:: 3. Operating conditions for staff – amber / red.

He said this is one of the main points of concern given the fact that Ukrainian operators are working at the plant with the presence of nuclear experts and Russian military forces is an “unprecedented situation”. yes”.

Mr Grossi said it was not classified as completely red as the factory continued to operate and “had a professional way of doing things”.

He added: “The plant is working, there’s a professional relationship between these professionals – they’re all nuclear experts, so they know what they’re doing, they know what they’re talking about. But they are human, so they are in the midst of a war that is affecting them and their families.”

A soldier with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 4
Picture:
A Russian soldier stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

:: 4. Off-site supplies – amber/red.

“If you don’t have an external power source, the cooling systems for the reactors can’t work, and if they can’t work, this can lead to a major accident,” he said.

There have been several instances of power outages or interruptions on one or two lines that feed the plants from the outside.

Currently, two lines are in operation, he added.

:: 5. Logical sequence – green/amber.

This category looks at supplies and things like replacement parts, all of which are essential to a large industrial facility.

“We’ve been quite probing about this – we’re discussing it with people on the spot – and the impression they give us is that it doesn’t matter,” Mr. Grossi said.

:: 6. Radiation monitoring and emergency response – green/red.

There have been some complete disruptions, hence the green/red situation, he said, adding that some systems are working fine, so “we see a mixed bag of “.

:: 7. Reliable communication with regulatory authorities – amber.

According to Mr. Grossi, an “operating function has some difficulties”.

Speaking directly after Grossi’s statement, Sky News defense and security editor Deborah Haynes said: “He entered the factory despite the fact that yesterday morning there were several attacks. shelling occurred in the surrounding town, high risk for the team, and emphasizing how important the mission was, they went ahead.

“His assessment was extremely interesting. He had that chart in place to try to document as clearly as possible the various elements of a facility as complex as Europe’s largest nuclear plant.

“Obviously the physical integrity of that big red tree, it’s been shelled many times.

“Interestingly he said that violence around the factory was only really an issue in the last month, a sign that the increase in skirmishes is actually increasing the risk to the factory itself.” machine.

“Then he went over other factors, particularly interested in the power supply to the plant, which was clearly a loophole.

“He said the reactors themselves, which are obviously the core of that facility, are very robust, but the power supply to the facility ensures the cooling mechanisms that are vital to keeping homes safe. machines, if they were to crash. , that would be a big problem.”



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