Russia-Ukraine war: Chornobyl NPP no longer sending safeguards monitoring system data
Chernobyl (Ukraine), March 9: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is no longer transmitting data from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the facility, informed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi on Tuesday.
According to the IAEA press release, the Director-General stated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost and that the Agency is investigating the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other parts of Ukraine and will provide more information soon. The Director-General also expressed grave concern regarding employee rotation at the nuclear facility, which was also the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in history in 1986.
Staff operating nuclear facilities, according to Director-General Grossi, must be able to rest and work in regular shifts, which is critical for overall nuclear safety.
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"I'm deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there," Grossi added.
The IAEA had previously reported that Russian forces at the Zaporizhzhya NPP had turned off several mobile networks and the internet, making it impossible to acquire credible information from the facility through conventional means of communication.
IAEA further stated that the plant management, including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units, is under orders from the commander of the Russian forces that took control of the site last week.
On March 4, the Russian military took control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. A projectile hit a training building near one of the plant's reactor units, creating a small fire that was eventually extinguished, Ukraine informed the IAEA.
The Ukrainian regulator claimed that eight of the country's 15 nuclear power plants were functioning, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which has been under Russian control since last week, and that the plants' staff were working in shifts. It went on to say that radiation levels at the sites were normal.
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-PTC News
