IAEA: Russia Breached Six of Seven Safety Pillars At Europe’s Largest Nuclear Plant

The situation at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP)—Europe’s largest nuclear facility—has reached a critical point, with six out of seven core nuclear safety and security pillars fully or partially breached, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), The Gaze reports, citing Ukrinform.

Speaking at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Grossi stressed that none of the six reactors at the Russian-occupied plant should be restarted due to the persistent threats posed by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

“All six reactors are in cold shutdown. No unit should be restarted while the war continues to endanger nuclear safety and security at the site,” he warned.

Grossi noted that reliance on groundwater for reactor cooling remains a temporary and fragile solution in the absence of stable infrastructure.

During his recent visit to Ukraine, Grossi met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials to discuss the plant’s condition and confirmed the importance of the IAEA’s continued presence on site. He also held new consultations in Russia, focused on safety conditions at the occupied plant.

The IAEA chief warned that external power supplies to ZNPP remain dangerously vulnerable, posing significant risks for nuclear accidents amid military hostilities.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered damage to its New Safe Confinement structure following a February drone strike. IAEA staff at the site continue to report drone activity and anti-aircraft fire in the vicinity.

Despite the war, Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine nuclear power plants remain in operation. However, Grossi emphasized that their stability is also at risk due to attacks on Ukraine’s electrical grid.

“IAEA inspections of seven electrical substations show that grid reliability remains significantly degraded,” he said, noting that repair efforts are ongoing.

As The Gaze previously reported, the International Atomic Energy Agency has dismissed recent allegations that Russia is actively preparing to restart the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), currently the largest nuclear facility in Europe.

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