"Mostly fairly unlikely to cause an issue, but there is of course still a small probability of these things happening. Paul Norman, director of the Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research and professor of nuclear physics and nuclear energy at the University of Birmingham, told Newsweek that "there are many different possibilities." There are concerns that military action could trigger a nuclear disaster. So, what could actually go wrong at Zaporizhzhia? And how likely is it to occur?Ī stock photo shows a nuclear power plant at sunset. The safety of the Zaporizhzhia power plant has particular poignancy due to Ukraine already suffering the world's worst nuclear disaster, at Chernobyl in 1986.
Military action around the nuclear plant presents a multitude of potentially disastrous scenarios. Nuclear power plants, if well-designed, are usually safe. "One reactor is still operating and producing electricity both for cooling and other essential safety functions at the site and for households, factories and others through the grid," the IAEA said. The site is now relying on a reserve power line. On September 3, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed in a statement that the site lost its fourth and last main power line due to the conflict. Shelling and combat continues near the plant and concerns are growing that it could cause a nuclear disaster. Since then, it has been a battleground between the two forces. Russian troops seized the plant shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in February. "Now that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has done it, not only Ukraine but the international community, including Japan, should reevaluate the risk of having nuclear plants as potential wartime targets".The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Europe's largest, currently lies in the middle of a war zone. "Many of us did not expect a respected country’s military would take such an outrageous step," he said. Mitsuru Fukuda, a professor at Nihon University in Tokyo and expert on crisis management and security, said the Zaporizhzhia attack raises broader questions for all countries. "The two incidents highlight the risk that facilities with radioactive material may suffer damage during the armed conflict, with potentially severe consequences," he said. Radioactive waste sites also hitĭuring fighting on the weekend, the Russian fire also hit a radioactive waste disposal facility in Kyiv and a similar facility in Kharkiv.īoth contained low-level waste such as those produced through medical use, and no radioactive release has been reported, but Grossi said the incidents should serve as a warning. The IAEA earlier this week appealed to Russia to let the Chernobyl staff "do their job safely and effectively".
In an appeal to the IAEA for help earlier this week, Ukrainian officials said that Chernobyl staff have been held by the Russian military without rotation and are exhausted. Ukraine is also home to the former Chernobyl nuclear plant, where radioactivity is still leaking, which was taken by Russian forces in the opening of the invasion after a fierce battle with the Ukrainian national guards protecting the decommissioned facility. Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
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