Russian drones have destroyed emergency response equipment at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, located in Ukraine, the United Nations says.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says a drone attack was carried out on a lab about 4km from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) recently.
An IAEA team that visited the lab reported that meteorological equipment used to collect real-time environmental data during a nuclear emergency was out of operation.
“These are examples of damage to nuclear emergency response equipment as a direct result of military activities,” says IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
“We cannot afford for the next damage to occur on essential nuclear safety equipment. I once again call on both sides to make all efforts to avoid military activities in the vicinity of nuclear facilities wherever they are located.”
The agency also heard that of more than 20 drones that were detected over the town of Enerhodar, where most ZNPP staff live, one struck the plant’s off-site emergency centre but just broke windows.
IAEA staff at the plant were also told of reported drone attacks on an electrical substation which cause power and water outages in Enerhodar.
The agency says the ZNPP remains dependent on a single 330 kV off-site power line; it’s main 750 kV power line has been disconnected since late March.
The UN says it is still talking to Russian and Ukraine forces about a temporary local ceasefire to allow for repairs to be made.
OTHER RUSSIAN ATTACKS
At the Khmelnytskyy NPP (Kh NPP), an IAEA team had to take shelter for several hours early this month after three drones were detected about six kilometres away while at Chornobyl (Chernobyl), six drones were detected overnight within four days.
The IAEA has also sent teams to inspect electrical substations critical to nuclear safety; 14 substations were inspected for damage caused by recent attacks.
“The need for a stable electricity supply to nuclear power plants is well defined …,” Grossi says.
“We will continue to conduct these missions to monitor the status of critical electrical substations and to identify ways we can help strengthen off-site power and avoid a nuclear accident during this war.”
Late last month, one person was killed in a drone attack near the ZNPP as the plant lost all off-site power for one hour, the 15th time in four years.
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