Europe Ukraine official says Russian troops approaching Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

[Mary Wilson]

February 26, 20225:47 PM UTC

By Reuters

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Russian troops are approaching Ukraine's nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia and have aimed their rockets at the site, Vadym Denysenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said on Saturday.

Russia has already captured the defunct Chernobyl plant, some 100 km north of Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe...nt-2022-02-26/
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3h
BREAKING: Adviser to Ukraine's interior minister says Russian troops are approaching Europe's largest nuclear power plant #Zaporizhzhia

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/...C-rcrd0cgpAAAA
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#Zaporizhzhia, air raid siren
2:51 PM · Feb 26, 2022

https://twitter.com/Militarylandnet/status/1497675678635986947?cxt=HHwWhsC43YeG6MgpAAAA

(NOTE: I will continue to monitor this development situation. Information is coming in slow. thanks)

 

[Mary Wilson]

"Zaporizhzhia NPP"

Start of construction – 1979

Start-up of unit 1 – 1984

Number of power units – 6 Reactor type – VVER-1000

Total capacity – 6000 MW NPP

Satellite town – Energodar, Zaporizhzhia region

Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe. It is located in the steppe zone of Ukraine, on the bank of the Kakhovka water reservoir. The decision on its construction was taken in 1977. 1980 was the start of stepwise construction of the plant power units. In the period from 1984 to 1987 four power units had been put into operation. Unit 5 was started up in 1989 and unit 6 – in 1995.

Zaporizhzhia NPP is a state-of-the-art high-tech enterprise, a powerful electricity supplier in Ukraine. The plant generates 40-42 billion kWh which accounts for one fifth of the average annual electricity production in Ukraine and for almost 47% of electricity generated by Ukrainian NPPs.

https://www.energoatom.com.ua/en/about-6/separated-59/npp_zp-60

 

[Mary Wilson]

BNO News@BNONews

BREAKING: Ukraine's nuclear agency says radioactive waste disposal site near Kyiv hit by airstrike; no evidence of a leak

7:59 PM · Feb 26, 2022·TweetDeck

https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1...C54a2ii8kpAAAA
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The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent · 3h
️Ukraine's State Emergency Service has clarified that the shelling on a radioactive waste disposal site in Kyiv did not lead to depressurization of the storage of radioactive substances.

The hit was on the fence and the building itself and the tanks remain intact.
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The Kyiv Independent@KyivIndependent·3h️Russian forces fired at radioactive waste disposal site in Kyiv.

According to preliminary assessment of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, there is no threat to people outside the sanitary protection zone.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent
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ELINT News @ELINTNews

#BREAKING: Ukrainian nuclear agency says Radon’s radioactive waste site near to Kyiv has been hit by a Russian airstrike, however measurements were taken at the site and there is currently no evidence of a radiation leak
8:02 PM · Feb 26, 2022

https://twitter.com/ELINTNews/status/1497753928129204224?cxt=HHwWgMCy8ePQi8kpAAAA
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Illia Ponomarenko @IAPonomarenko

NUCLEAR WASTE FACILITIES TARGETED IN KYIV, HIGH RISK OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION

8:12 PM · Feb 26, 2022 from Ukraine·Twitter for iPhone
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Illia Ponomarenko @IAPonomarenko · 3h

As of now, it appears that the waste storage tanks are not directly damaged, the radioactive background at the Pecherska subway station in Kyiv is normal as of 3 a.m.

https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/st...C--ZPjjMkpAAAA

 

[Mary Wilson]

International Atomic Energy Agency

Update 3 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

FEB 27 2022

Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that missiles hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in Kiev overnight but there were no reports of damage to the building or any indications of a radioactive release, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) told the IAEA that both its communications with the facility – the Kiev branch of the State Specialized Enterprise "Radon" – and the radiation monitoring system at the site had been restored during the morning. SNRIU said it expects to soon receive the results of on-site radioactive monitoring. Staff at the facility were forced to take shelter during the night but could later assess the situation.

The incident came a day after SNRIU said an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility near the north-eastern city of Kharkiv had been damaged, also without any reports of a radioactive release. Such facilities typically hold disused radioactive sources and other low-level waste from hospitals and industry.

“These two incidents highlight the very real risk that facilities with radioactive material will suffer damage during the conflict, with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment,” Director General Grossi said.

“Once again, I urgently and strongly appeal to all parties to refrain from any military or other action that could threaten the safety and security of these facilities,” he added. ...

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pre...tor-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Mary Wilson]

International Atomic Energy Agency

Update 5 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

MAR 1 2022

Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that all of the country’s nuclear power plants remained under the control of the national operator and there were no new reports of potential threats to the sites, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, reiterating his continued grave concern about the conflict and its potential consequences.

In its latest regular update to the IAEA, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said it was communicating regularly with the plants and they were continuing to operate safely and securely. Their physical protection systems were in regular mode and the radiation levels at the sites were also normal, it added.

Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry informed the IAEA that Russian military forces were advancing close to the largest of the sites – the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in eastern Ukraine. As the Agency reported on 28 February, additional information received on that day from the operator confirmed that the Russian forces were near the site but had not entered it.

Director General Grossi has repeatedly stressed that any military or other action that could threaten the safety or security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants – 15 reactors at four sites – must be avoided.

“I remain gravely concerned about the situation in Ukraine, especially regarding the safety and security of its nuclear power plants,” he said. “I renew my strong appeal to avoid any potential danger or threat to these facilities as any accident could have very severe consequences.”

... Ukraine last week informed the IAEA that Russian forces had taken control of the facilities of the State Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl NPP, located within the Exclusion Zone set up after the 1986 accident. The regulator said today that radiation levels around the facility were being monitored and did not exceed usual levels. Available plant personnel have not changed since last week and they are operating in shifts, it added. ...

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pres...ion-in-ukraine

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Mary Wilson]

International Atomic Energy Agency

Update 6 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

MAR 2 2022

Russia has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that its military forces have taken control of the territory around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

In an official letter to the Director General dated 1 March, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna also said personnel at the plant continued their “work on providing nuclear safety and monitoring radiation in normal mode of operation. The radiation levels remain normal.”

... In an update this morning, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU) said it maintained communications with the country’s nuclear facilities and that the NPPs continued to operate normally.

The Zaporizhzhia plant is the largest of Ukraine’s NPP sites with six out of the country’s 15 nuclear energy reactors. ...

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pre...tor-general-statement-on-situation-in-ukraine

 

[Mary Wilson]

International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA Director General's Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors

MAR 2 2022

... We are meeting today to discuss the nuclear safety, security and safeguards implications of the conflict in Ukraine as a result of the Russian Federation’s military operation that began on 24 February.

The situation in Ukraine is unprecedented and I continue to be gravely concerned. It is the first time a military conflict is happening amidst the facilities of a large, established nuclear power programme, which in this case also include the site of the 1986 accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The safety and security of nuclear facilities, and nuclear and other radioactive material, in Ukraine must under no circumstances be endangered.

I have called for restraint from all measures or actions that could jeopardize the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, and the safe operation of any nuclear facilities in Ukraine, because any such incident could have severe consequences, aggravating human suffering and causing environmental harm.

In this context it is also imperative to ensure that the brave people who operate, regulate, inspect and assess the nuclear facilities in Ukraine can continue to do their indispensable jobs safely, unimpeded and without undue pressure.

... Despite the extraordinary circumstances of an armed conflict causing increasing challenges and dangers, Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants are operating normally.

But while we may use expressions like “normal operations” in a technical context, I want to emphasise there is nothing normal about the circumstances under which the professionals at Ukraine’s four Nuclear Power Plants are managing to keep the reactors that produce half of Ukraine’s electricity working.

... Russia informed us yesterday that its military forces have taken control of the territory around Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine’s largest Nuclear Power Plant, which houses six of the country’s 15 operational nuclear power reactors.

It is of critical importance that the armed conflict and activities on the ground around Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and any other of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities in no way interrupts or endangers the facilities or the people working at and around them.

Russian forces have taken control of all facilities of the State Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located within the Exclusion Zone. No casualties or destruction at the industrial site were reported.

... IAEA assessed that they remained low enough not to pose a hazard to the public.

It is of utmost importance that the staff working at the Specialized Enterprise Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant are able to do their job safely and effectively, and that their personal wellbeing is guaranteed by those who have taken control.

Yesterday, I received a letter from the SNRIU requesting me to extend immediate assistance to ensure the safety of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plantand other nuclear facilities in the country. I am conducting consultations in order to address this request for assistance.

... A nuclear accident can have a serious impact beyond the borders of the country in which it occurs and the world is relying on the IAEA to keep it informed with accurate and timely information.

A key source of information for the IAEA is the Ukrainian regulator. Ukraine’s ability to provide accurate and complete data on the safety and security of the operation of all nuclear facilities in Ukraine should not be interrupted, impeded or influenced. ...

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/sta...tatement-to-the-board-of-governors-02-03-2022

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Mary Wilson]

International Atomic Energy Agency

Update 9 – IAEA Director General Statement on the situation in Ukraine

MAR 3 2022

Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today that a large number of Russian tanks and infantry “broke through the block-post” to the town of Enerhodar, a few kilometres from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

In an urgent letter to the Director General, the Ukraine regulatory authority added that Russian infantry troops were moving directly towards the site of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. “The battle is going on in the town of Enerhodar and on the road to the ZNPP (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant) site,” it said, adding that the situation was “critical”. ...

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pre...general-statement-on-the-situation-in-ukraine

 

[Mary Wilson]

Europe’s largest nuclear power plant on fire after shelling

By JIM HEINTZ, YURAS KARMANAU and MSTYSLAV CHERNOV
29 minutes ago


KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces pressed their attack on a crucial energy-producing city by shelling Europe’s largest nuclear plant early Friday, sparking a fire and raising fears that radiation could leak from the damaged power station.

Plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that shells were falling directly on the Zaporizhzhia plant in the city of Enerhodar and had set fire to one of the facility’s six reactors. That reactor is under renovation and not operating, but there is nuclear fuel inside, he said.

A government official told The Associated Press that elevated levels of radiation were detected near the plant, which provides about 25% of Ukraine’s power generation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been publicly released.

Tuz said firefighters cannot get near the flames because they are being shot at. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a plea to the Russians to stop the assault and allow fire teams inside.

“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Tuz said in a video statement. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.” ...

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-a3092d8e476949ed7c55607a645a9154

 

[Mary Wilson]

IAEA puts its Incident and Emergency Centre (@IAEAIEC) in full 24/7 response mode due to serious situation at #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in #Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/iaeaorg/status/1499582507653681186?cxt=HHwWxMCygY-Wy88pAAAA