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Russian military control of Ukraine nuclear plants cause for grave concern, nuclear energy agency warns

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  • #31
    The above source appears to be Ukrainian.

    Comment


    • Emily
      Emily commented
      Editing a comment
      This one could be true. The soldiers were sacrificed to see what was going on at that lab. This clearly shows the long-term devastation to the environment from nuclear events.

    • alert
      alert commented
      Editing a comment
      Chernobyl was never a legitimate military target. The Russian army seized it for propaganda/historical reasons, and perhaps in the remote chance some extremist element would use it to produce a dirty bomb (although international agencies could have prevented that equally well at lower risk), but once they realized how dangerous it still was, they seem to have quickly turned it back over to the Ukrainians. Reports are that all Russian troops are out of Chernobyl.

  • #32
    Update 38 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

    31 Mar 2022

    ... Ukraine today informed the IAEA that the Russian forces that have been in control of Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) since 24 February had, in writing, transferred control of the NPP to Ukrainian personnel and moved two convoys of troops towards Belarus. A third convoy had also left the city of Slavutych, where many of the Chornobyl NPP staff live, and moved towards Belarus. In addition, Ukraine reported that there are still some Russian forces on the Chornobyl NPP site but presumed that those forces are preparing to leave. ...


    ... The IAEA has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while being in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. The IAEA is seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation. ...

    Comment


    • #33
      About 75 Russian soldiers are receiving medical treatment after being exposed to radiation during their temporary control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Ukraine's energy minister says.

      Over 70 Russian soldiers exposed to radiation at Chernobyl: Ukraine

      KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 23:49
      Warsaw - About 75 Russian soldiers are receiving medical treatment in Belarus after being exposed to radiation during their temporary control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, according to Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

      Galushchenko said in an online interview Tuesday that the troops apparently suffered from radiation after digging around the grounds of the plant, the site of a 1986 disaster, to defend themselves from the Ukrainian military.

      The troops were affected "very heavily and are in a very difficult situation and now (being treated) in clinics" in Belarus, Galushchenko said, citing information made available...
      _____________________________________________

      Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

      i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

      "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

      (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
      Never forget Excalibur.

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      • #34
        Update 84 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

        29 Jun 2022 116/2022

        Vienna, Austria

        The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again lost the remote connection to its safeguards surveillance systems installed at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), further underlining the need for the IAEA to go there very soon, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

        The IAEA has not been able to visit the ZNPP since before the current military conflict in Ukraine. Russian forces took control of the plant nearly four months ago, but its Ukrainian staff are continuing to operate it.

        Director General Grossi has repeatedly stressed his determination to agree, organize and head an IAEA-led international mission to conduct essential nuclear safety, security and safeguards activities at the ZNPP, Ukraine’s largest such facility with six reactors.

        He also recently expressed his increasing concern about the difficult conditions facing staff at the ZNPP and the impact of such conditions on the safety and security of the plant

        “The fact that our remote safeguards data transmission is down again – for the second time in the past month – only adds to the urgency to dispatch this mission,” he said.

        Earlier this month, the IAEA and the Ukrainian operator of the plant worked together to restore the remote transmission of safeguards data from the ZNPP to IAEA headquarters after a technical interruption of almost two weeks. The data from this time period was also recovered.

        But the connection was lost again on 25 June, due to a disruption of the facility’s communication systems, Director General Grossi said, citing the assessment of IAEA technicians at its headquarters.

        In addition, inspectors can only carry out essential nuclear material verification work when they are at the site. The interval of physical inventory verifications at nuclear power plants (NPPs) cannot exceed a specified duration. This is particularly important at two of the units at ZNPP. These units have also been refuelled in recent months and a physical verification of the nuclear material therein is a safeguards pre-requisite before re-starting them.

        The IAEA is also facing a partial loss of remote safeguards data transmission from the Chornobyl NPP, the Director General said.

        Safeguards data from IAEA systems installed at two of the NPP’s facilities are no longer being transmitted. ...




        Comment


        • #35

          Update 97 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

          SEP 3 2022

          Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has once again lost the connection to its last remaining main external power line, but the facility is continuing to supply electricity to the grid through a reserve line, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed at the site today.

          Less than 48 hours after Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on Thursday established the presence of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) at the facility in southern Ukraine, the Agency’s experts were told by senior Ukrainian staff that the ZNPP’s fourth operational 750 Kilovolt (kV) power line was down. The three others were lost earlier during the conflict.

          However, the IAEA experts – now present at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant located in the middle of a war zone – also learnt that the 330/750 kV reserve line linking the facility to a nearby thermal power plant was delivering the electricity the ZNPP generates to the external grid. The same reserve line can also provide back-up power to the ZNPP if needed.

          In addition, plant management informed the IAEA team that one of the ZNPP’s two operating units was disconnected in the afternoon today due to grid restrictions. The same unit 5 was disconnected also on 1 September – the day of Director General Grossi’s arrival at the site – due to an internal electrical failure but it was reconnected the following day.

          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 ZNPP is held by Russian forces since early March, but its Ukrainian staff are continuing to operate the plant.

          “Our team on the ground received direct, fast and reliable information about the latest significant development affecting the plant’s external power situation, as well as the operational status of the reactors. We already have a better understanding of the functionality of the reserve power line in connecting the facility to the grid. This is crucial information in assessing the overall situation there,” Director General Grossi said.

          “The great value of finally having the IAEA permanently present at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is already abundantly clear. It is a game changer,” he said, adding that the IAEA remained in close contact with its Ukrainian counterparts and continued to receive valuable updates about the situation from them.

          Friday evening’s disconnection of the 750 kV power line – which happened temporarily also on 25 August – followed renewed shelling in the area, Ukraine separately informed the IAEA.

          ... At the ZNPP, the ISAMZ experts will carry out detailed and continuous work to assess the physical damage to the plant’s facilities, determine the functionality of the main and back-up safety and security systems and evaluate the staff’s working conditions, in addition to performing urgent safeguards activities on the site.

          “The difference between having the IAEA at the site and not having us there is like day and night. I remain gravely concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant – this hasn’t changed – but the continued presence of the IAEA will be of paramount importance in helping to stabilise the situation. ...




          Comment


          • #36


            Russia says it foiled Ukrainian attempt to seize nuclear plant

            Sept 3 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces attempted to capture the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in an attack on the facility on Friday night, Russia's defence ministry said in its daily briefing on Saturday.

            The ministry said a Ukrainian naval force of more than 250 troops attempted to land on the coast of a lake near the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine at around 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on Friday.

            "Despite the presence of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Kyiv regime once again attempted to seize the plant," the defence ministry said.

            Russia said its forces foiled the attack with strikes from military helicopters and fighter jets, destroying 20 Ukrainian vessels and causing others to scatter and call off the attack.

            Reuters was unable to verify the report...
            _____________________________________________

            Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

            i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

            "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

            (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
            Never forget Excalibur.

            Comment


            • #37
              Update 101 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

              SEP 12 2022

              A second back-up power line to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been restored, enabling the operator to keep one line in reserve while the other provides the plant with the external electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential safety functions during shutdown, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) learnt at the site today.

              In another development significant for nuclear safety at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, a reactor unit that was shut down yesterday has now entered a cold shutdown state like the facility’s five other reactors, meaning it will require less power for cooling.

              It was the ZNPP’s last operating reactor, and it was shut down after the restoration on Saturday of a 330 kilovolt (kV) power line allowed the plant to access off-site electricity from the grid instead of relying on the reactor itself for power. A 750/330 kV line has now also been restored and it is being used to provide the plant with power required for its safety functions, with the restored 330 kV line held in reserve. The two restored lines can both receive power from the grid through the switchyard of a nearby thermal power station.

              Despite these developments related to the plant’s access to external power, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi emphasised that the nuclear safety and security situation at the plant – located in the middle of a war zone – remained precarious. The ZNPP’s four main external power lines are all down and it is not currently providing electricity to households, factories and others.

              “A nuclear safety and security protection zone is urgently needed and I have begun initial consultations with the relevant Parties,” the Director General said in a statement to the IAEA Board of Governors today.

              Comment


              • #38
                Update 110 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

                OCT 1 2022

                After receiving information about the detention of Ihor Murashov, Director General of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been in contact with the relevant authorities and has been informed that Mr Murashov is in temporary detention, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

                The IAEA, in line with its nuclear safety and security mandate, has been actively seeking clarifications and hopes for a prompt and satisfactory resolution of this matter, Director General Grossi said. He reiterated that this detention has a very significant impact on at least two of the seven indispensable nuclear safety and security pillars that he outlined at the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.

                “Such a detention of any member of the plant staff would be a source of grave concern in itself, but also for its psychological impact and pressure on the rest of the staff - which is detrimental to nuclear safety and security”, said Director General Grossi.

                Furthermore, the Director General of the ZNPP has the responsibility to ensure the nuclear safety and security of the plant. He ensures that all the plant’s operational procedures are implemented, including the ones related to nuclear safety, radiation safety of operating personnel, and to nuclear security. Additionally, he activates and leads the response to any on-site nuclear emergency.

                “His absence from duty in this way also has an immediate and serious impact on decision-making in ensuring the safety and security of the plant,” Director General Grossi added.

                Director General Grossi expressed the hope that Mr Murashov will return to his family safely and promptly and will be able to resume his important functions at the plant.

                Separately today, IAEA experts present at the ZNPP reported that several explosions were again heard in the vicinity of the plant. As with the previous explosions reported by the IAEA this week, they are believed to have been caused by landmines. The explosions did not result in any direct impact on the safety or security systems of the ZNPP.

                Today’s explosions indicate a continued rise in the number of landmine explosions reported this week outside the perimeter fence of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which is controlled by Russian forces but operated by its Ukrainian staff. Director General Grossi remains deeply concerned about the repeated occurrence of such landmine explosions near the plant.

                Director General Grossi continues his consultations and other efforts aimed at agreeing and implementing a nuclear safety and security zone around the ZNPP as soon as possible. He is expected to travel to Kyiv and Moscow next week.


                Comment


                • #39
                  Update 114 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

                  08 Oct 2022 164/2022

                  Vienna, Austria

                  The nuclear safety and security situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has deteriorated further, with the facility losing all access to external power due to renewed shelling overnight, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

                  The shelling damaged the ZNPP’s last remaining operating 750 kilovolt (kV) power line shortly after midnight, forcing Europe’s largest nuclear power plant to rely on its emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Grossi said, citing information from the IAEA team of experts present at the site.

                  While those generators have fuel for ten days the lack of off-site electricity is a deeply worrying development that underlines the urgent need to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP, the Director General said.

                  “The resumption of shelling, hitting the plant’s sole source of external power, is tremendously irresponsible. The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant must be protected,” he said.

                  As part of efforts to agree and implement such a zone as soon as possible, the Director General held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Thursday and he will also discuss the issue in the Russian Federation early next week, before returning to Ukraine.

                  The protection zone “is an absolute and urgent imperative” in order to prevent a nuclear accident, he said.

                  A secure off-site power supply from the grid is essential for ensuring nuclear safety. This requirement is among the seven indispensable nuclear safety and security pillars that the Director General outlined at the beginning of the conflict.

                  Before the conflict, the ZNPP had access to the grid through four high-voltage power lines, but they have now all fallen victim to the fighting. The back-up power lines connecting the ZNPP to a nearby thermal power station are also down. The plant had also previously temporarily lost direct access to the electricity grid but could then still receive power through available back-up lines, or from one of its reactors that was still operating at the time.

                  The loss of external power comes a day after the IAEA experts at the ZNPP reported that shelling had damaged a power line providing electricity to the plant’s reactor unit 6, which temporarily received power from its emergency diesel generators instead. Yesterday, the nearby city of Enerhodar – where the ZNPP’s staff and their families live – lost electricity after shelling damaged an electrical transformer at the thermal power station, and shelling continued today at the industrial site outside the nuclear power plant site.

                  After the connection to the 750 kV line was lost early today, all sixteen of the plant’s available diesel generators started operating automatically, providing its six reactors with power. When the situation stabilised, ten of the generators were switched off, leaving six to provide the reactors with electricity. Efforts are under way to increase the available fuel stocks for the diesel generators.

                  All the plant’s safety systems continue to receive power and are operating normally, the IAEA experts were informed by senior Ukrainian operating staff at the site. Although the six reactors are in cold shutdown, they still require electricity for vital nuclear safety and security functions.

                  The location of the damage to the 750 kV power line has been identified outside the ZNPP site and it will be repaired by the grid operator, the IAEA expert team reported. A damaged electrical transformer at the switchyard of the thermal power station will also be repaired, but the timing depends on the shelling in the area. The IAEA team was also informed that the electricity connection between the ZNPP’s own switchyard and reactor unit 6 had been fixed.

                  Senior operating staff at the ZNPP had informed the IAEA team on Wednesday about plans to re-start reactor unit 5 at reduced power to produce steam and heat for the needs of the plant, but those preparations were halted after the plant lost all external power.



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                  • #40
                    The occupiers are building an unknown construction at the site of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) without any permission; moreover, they are not letting the plant's personnel go to the construction site.

                    Occupiers build unknown construction near spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

                    Ukrainska Pravda

                    Wed, November 2, 2022 at 4:04 AM

                    The occupiers are building an unknown construction at the site of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) without any permission; moreover, they are not letting the plant’s personnel go to the construction site.

                    Source: a statement by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.

                    Quote: "The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has detected the violation of Ukrainian laws, norms, rules, and standards of nuclear and radiation safety at the site of a dry storage facility for spent nuclear fuel (DSFSNF), which is one of the seven nuclear units at the ZNPP.

                    This particularly refers to unauthorised building of an unknown construction by Russia’s occupation forces at the site of the DSFSNF at the ZNPP, which belongs to the State Entreprise National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom; additionally, this is about the Russians not letting the ZNPP’s personnel access the construction site," the Inspectorate stated...
                    _____________________________________________

                    Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

                    i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

                    "...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party

                    (My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.)
                    Never forget Excalibur.

                    Comment

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