Head of the Nuclear Agency: I am very concerned about the Ukrainian nuclear power plant

The potential Ukrainian spring offensive and the Russian front-line evacuation order are causing great concern about the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

This is the largest nuclear power plant in the country and Europe, and experts have long been concerned about the threat of a nuclear accident.

– The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement released on the nuclear energy level that the situation in the region around Zaporizhia is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous. websites.

Russian forces took control of the nuclear power plant on March 4 last year.

– I am very concerned about the security risks facing the facility. We must act now to prevent the risk of a serious nuclear accident and the associated consequences for the population and the environment, says Rossi, who has sounded the alarm many times before.

This large nuclear facility must be protected. He continued: I will continue to press for the commitment of all parties to achieving this important goal.

In anticipation of the Ukrainian Spring Offensive, Russia ordered the evacuation of civilians in Russian-controlled areas on the front line, including the power station.

Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov wrote in Telegram that the evacuation order had caused “extreme panic”, fuel shortages and long lines at roadblocks to Russian-occupied Crimea.

Melitopol is located south of Zaporizhia, not far from the Black Sea.

Radiation protection in Norway: – On alert

If there was a nuclear accident at the facility – and the wind was blowing towards Norway – the radioactivity could reach here.

Agriculture in Norway will be affected mainly – and iodine tablets are not necessary for an accident as far away as Ukraine.

Preparedness director Astrid Leland at the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety says they are following the developments closely.

We monitor the situation all the time, and we have a guard 24/7. It will report to the IAEA if something happens, and we know that works very well because we just tested all the alarm systems, I told VG.

Since March last year, when the Russians took over, Leyland has been worried about the situation.

The matches were very close all the time. The IAEA team continues to hear the bombing. And just a few hundred meters away, mines and explosions of various kinds exploded.

– So we feel things haven’t gone well in lost time so far. Hopefully nothing more dramatic will happen, but with the onset of spring we are of course on the alert that things could change.

The reactors have been shut down. What is the worst thing that could happen in an accident right now?

There is still a lot of radioactivity inside the reactor. Moreover, one cannot ignore the fact that the Russians are probably working for their start-up to increase electricity production.

Liland explains that if the power plant loses the energy that cools the reactors, a meltdown could occur that could lead to radioactive materials.

– Otherwise, of course, the missile could reach directly at the nuclear power plant or store spent fuel. And then you don’t know what will happen.

As a result of the catastrophic Chernobyl accident in northern Ukraine in 1986, the European Union contributed funds to modernize the plant. The update was scheduled to be completed this year, but was halted as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine this year.