The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has expressed grave concerns about the situation at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, situated in central Ukraine. Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), highlighted the site's "very fragile" condition following recent attacks and announced plans to expand inspections to electricity substations the power the country's nuclear plants. Grossi shared his remarks while in Kyiv, after discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and energy officials, in what marks his 10th visit to the country since the Russia-Ukraine conflict's February 2022 start.
On Monday, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was impacted by artillery shelling in the vicinity, damaging its power access. Energoatom, the plant's operator, attributed the shelling to Russia, stating that one of the two overhead lines supplying power was compromised. The firm warned that further damage would create an emergency situation, and technicians face threats of continued shelling, hindering repairs.
Analysts warn that a potential explosion at Zaporizhzhia could lead to radiation exposure, although they believe it wouldn't be anywhere near as severe as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Grossi is traveling with IAEA experts and began his Kyiv visit at the Ministry of Energy. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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