A security perimeter around the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant should be established to prevent accidents stemming from ongoing hostilities. This is the conclusion highlighted in the final report published on the International Atomic Energy Agency website.
IAEA inspectors evaluated four Ukrainian nuclear power facilities Rivne, Khmelnytsky, South Ukraine, and Zaporizhzhya. The first three are operating normally.
Regarding the ZNPP, the IAEA findings include several key recommendations:
— An immediate security zone around the ZNPP is essential to prevent a nuclear incident;
— Safe access corridors must be created to the plant, with all necessary provisions in place;
— The inspectors documented physical damage at the facility;
— Numerous events at the site violated core nuclear safety principles;
— Some damage was found in proximity to the plant’s power units;
— The IAEA calls for a halt to hostilities and for an end to shelling of the ZNPP and surrounding areas.
— It is important to restore a backup power line to the ZNPP to guarantee uninterrupted cooling and the operation of other essential systems.
The IAEA urged Russian and Ukrainian authorities to ensure that ZNPP personnel can carry out their duties safely, with adequate rest and ongoing training, and to maintain open communication channels between staff and international authorities.
Plant personnel are advised to work through potential accident scenarios for the ZNPP. The IAEA added that protecting staff and securing the station have become priorities for the involved forces.
The day before, the international agency confirmed that two IAEA experts remained at the ZNPP to monitor the situation, with four experts departing the site as part of the planned safety and security mission. Two remaining experts continued to observe the situation at the plant.
Earlier, an IAEA mission led by Rafael Grossi, the agency director general, visited Zaporizhzhia and Energodar. At the close of the briefing, Grossi expressed concern about the integrity of the facilities amid the intensifying regional conflict, underscoring the need for enhanced protections and stable operations.
The bombardment, blamed by Russia on Ukrainian forces, caused damage to a power line near the ZNPP. Energoatom, the Ukrainian state operator, reported that on September 3 the fifth power unit was shut down following the strike on the communication lines. By that evening, power unit five was disconnected from the grid, while the sixth unit, running at limited capacity, supplied electricity to Ukraine via a backup line and also supported the station’s own needs.
These developments underscore the urgency of securing uninterrupted cooling and safety systems at the plant, alongside safeguarding the personnel who operate and monitor the facility during this period of elevated tension.