Ukraine: After another missile strike that forced the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine to operate on diesel generators, the head of the UN nuclear agency warned of the threat of ongoing power disruptions at the facility.
Pumps that move water to cool nuclear fuel pools and reactors must be powered by electricity. IAEA chief Mr. Rafael Grossi stated to the board of governors of the agency, “Each time we are rolling a dice and if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out.”
The discussions between Mr. Grossi and Moscow as well as Kyiv to establish a protection zone around the facility appear to have come to an impasse. Since Russia took control of the facility in Zaporizhzhia a year ago, the electricity grid had been switched off six times, according to Mr. Grossi, and not once since November 2022.
The incident occurred during a recent Russian offensive against Ukraine that resulted in at least nine fatalities and widespread power outages. The emergency diesel generators can provide the facility’s energy needs for 10 days, as per the statement.
Without providing any information, the Russian officials in charge of the plant claimed that diesel generators had been turned on as a result of a “short-circuit” of electricity cables.