The head of the IAEA called the situation around the Zaporozhye NPP “playing with fire”

The disconnection of the Zaporizhzhya NPP from external power supply, which lasted for several hours today, May 22, demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of the situation with nuclear safety. About it declared Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, calling the situation a game with fire.

“This morning’s off-site power outage demonstrates the extremely vulnerable nuclear safety situation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. As I have repeatedly said, it simply cannot continue. We are playing with fire,” the IAEA press service quoted him as saying.

Grossi added that he is negotiating with all parties to protect the ZNPP in order to avoid a real threat of a nuclear accident at the facility. He emphasized that when ZNPP is disconnected from the 750 kW line, the plant becomes entirely dependent on its diesel generators, since the previously damaged 330 kW backup power line has not yet been repaired. Today’s shutdown of the station from external power supply was already the seventh in a row, added Grossi.

On the morning of May 22 in the Telegram channel of Zaporozhye NPP reportedthat the station was switched to diesel generators due to the outage of the Dneprovskaya power line. It was clarified that the radiation background on the territory of ZNPP is normal. According to a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, the chairman of the movement “We are with Russia” Vladimir Rogov, the Ukrainian “Energoatom” turned off the Dnieper power line.

Later, Ukrenergo reported resumption work of the Dnieper power line. The company explained.

ZNPP has been under Russian control since the end of February 2022. Since then, the Russian side has reported that the plant and the city of Energodar, where it is located, are subject to regular shelling from Ukraine. In early September last year, an IAEA mission arrived at ZNPP. The organization called for an end to the attacks on the station and the establishment of a safe zone around it.