IAEA chief discusses Ukraine, Russia nuclear plants with Zelenskiy, says situation fragile
UN nuclear agency head to visit Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
He visited Russia's Kursk nuclear plant last week
IAEA wants to prevent wartime nuclear accident
Updates with new Grossi comments
By Anastasiia Malenko and Max Hunder
KYIV, Sept 3 (Reuters) -U.N. nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi, who is due to visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine on Wednesay, said the situation there was "very fragile" and the risk of a disaster remained.
Rossi was speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday after meeting withPresident Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ukrainian nuclear and energy officials. They also discussed the state of affairs atthe Kursk nuclear plant in Russia, which Ukrainian troops are close to.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, fell to Russian troops soon after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and is not operating now.
Both sides have frequently accused each other of shelling it.Moscow and Kyiv both deny the accusations.
Grossi, who is director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said: "I have very often characterised (Zaporizhzhia) as very fragile. Some days we have some stability, and then there is an end, an issue, a drone impact, or like today we had one of the two existing power lines down, which means that the station is again on the verge of being on a blackout."
"Blackout — no power. No power — no cooling. No cooling — maybe you have a disaster," he said.
Russian news agencies reported on Monday that a high-voltage power supply line at the plant had automatically disconnected.
Ukraine said Russian attacks had damaged one of the two external overhead lines connecting the plant to the Ukrainian power grid. Russia has not commented on that charge.
Zelenskiy, visiting the city of Zaporizhzhia with Dutch PrimeMinister Dick Schoof on Monday, said that at this stage of the war, it was not possible for Ukraine to take back control of the plant.
Grossi, who visited Russia's Kursk plant last week, also said at Tuesday's briefing that the situations there and at Zaporizhzhia were different.
But he added: "I think it is always a risk when there is a possibility of an attack on a nuclear power plant."
Russia says the Kursk plant has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces that are just 40 km (25 miles) away since they carved out a slice of Russian territory in a cross-border incursion launched on Aug. 6.
Grossi said after visiting the Kursk plant that it was extremely fragile because it had no protective dome and that the "danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged near here".
Ukraine's foreign ministry last Thursday denounced what it said were Russian efforts to accuse Ukraine of provocations that threatened nuclear safety, saying this was a "disinformation campaign to distract attention from its own criminal acts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant".
Additional reporting by Oleksandr Kozhukhar in Kyiv and by Lidia Kelly in Melbournne, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Angus MacSwan
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.
