At the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the number of workers has been reduced by half. In addition, the nuclear fuel at the plant is reaching the end of its useful life and this can seriously affect nuclear safety.
This was announced at a joint press conference by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and the Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko.
— We are raising the issue of having enough staff on site. Compared to the normal number of personnel that should be at the station — this is more than 10 thousand, now we are seeing a significant reduction, by half, — says Grossi.
The situation at the Zaporozhye NPP
After the shortage of personnel at the nuclear power plant, no less important remains the issue of blackouts at Zaporozhye NPP.
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— Another issue that worries us is the Kakhovka dam. Last summer it was blown up, causing a decrease in the water level in the rivers and this affects the water level in the cooling ponds. I talked with the station management about how they would solve this problem. They have already dug 12 wells, which are being fully prepared to compensate for the lack of water. If you break down all these aspects, you will see that there is no certainty regarding stability, — he said.
According to the Director General of the IAEA, there were times when Agency representatives were not allowed into certain areas of the Zaporozhye NPP.
— But we constantly insist and we have been given permission to visit certain parts. Yes, there are certain areas that are closed to us, but we are constantly working in this direction. We insist on providing access, — he said.
Another important issue is the technical condition of the Zaporizhzhya NPP and the end of the nuclear fuel service life.
— I would describe the state of the station as a rather delicate technical balance — very fragile condition. Let's go through different aspects. Regarding technical work. We have never encountered such a situation where a nuclear power plant was shut down for such a long time, so there are a lot of technical issues and we are in the process of working through them, — said the IAEA director.
Galushchenko noted that the service life of the fuel at Zaporizhzhya NPP is expiring.
— The service life is about to expire. What to do next? Because 6 years — This is the design life of its operation. To date, such precedents have not existed and do not exist. Therefore, it is necessary to make decisions that will significantly affect nuclear safety, — said the minister.
As he noted, the issue of fuel is important because the world has not yet encountered such a thing.
— This is the service life that has expired; in the future, the manufacturer must say whether it is possible to operate beyond the limits. This is a difficult question because we are talking about two manufacturers, — emphasized the IAEA Director.
Grossi noted that the task of the IAEA mission — qualitatively assess the technical condition of the Zaporizhia NPP and the situation at the station.
Recall that the Director General of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi arrived in Kiev on February 6 and has already met with the heads of the Ministry of Energy and the State Nuclear Regulatory Authority and Energoatom.
