IAEA Risks Normalizing Nuclear Crisis at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Warns Greenpeace

International regulators are unable to properly monitor safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine, which is under Russian occupation, risking a potential nuclear crisis, says a critical dossier compiled by Greenpeace and sent to Western governments on Thursday, as reported by The Guardian.

The dossier asserts that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), "cannot fulfil the requirements of its mandate" and is unwilling to publicly acknowledge this. As a result, what it describes as "Russia's violations of safety principles" remain unspoken.

Sean Bernie and Jan Vandeputte, nuclear specialists from Greenpeace, conclude that "IAEA risks normalizing what remains an unprecedented nuclear crisis in the history of nuclear energy, exaggerating its actual impact on events on the ground."

The environmental campaign group found that IAEA has too few inspectors at ZNPP, Europe's largest nuclear power station, with only four inspectors in total. Additionally, they face numerous restrictions on their access to the ZNPP, which is currently occupied by Russian forces.

The vast Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, with its six reactors, was seized by Russia in early March 2022 and has been at the forefront of the conflict ever since. It is situated on the Dnieper River in central Ukraine, with Ukrainian armed forces holding the opposite bank, keeping the ZNPP within the military's line of sight.

Russian troops are stationed on the ZNPP's territory, potentially numbering between 500-600 personnel, according to reports at the start of the conflict. Satellite imagery from 2022 shows the presence of hostile Russian armoured vehicles.

Periodically, the ZNPP has come under attack from Russian military forces, notably in August 2022 when shelling punctured the roof of a storage facility.

Analysing satellite images, analysts have presented evidence that Russian occupiers have established firing positions on the roofs of four reactor buildings. Traces seen from above also demonstrate that Russia regularly shells Ukrainian targets with rocket artillery systems such as "Grad" or "Smerch" from various locations within a range of 1 to 18 kilometres from the ZNPP.

Greenpeace's findings are complemented by a military assessment from an open-source intelligence firm, McKenzie Intelligence.

IAEA has declined to directly comment on Greenpeace's report. However, they noted that IAEA has had inspectors at the ZNPP since September 2022, emphasizing that without their presence, "the world would lack an independent source of information on Europe's largest nuclear power station."

It is worth noting that the current head of IAEA, Rafael Grossi, has been reappointed as the regulator's chairman for another four years.