SNRIU Chairman: If an accident occurs at ZNPP, Ukraine will not be able to report it promptly
Kyiv • UNN
Due to Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the blocking of the automated radiation monitoring system, Ukraine and the international community receive information about the nuclear situation at the plant with a significant delay.
Due to the occupation of ZNPP by Russia and the blocking of the automated radiation monitoring system (ARMS), information on the nuclear situation at the power plant is received with a significant delay. This was stated by SNRIU Chairman Oleh Korikov during a meeting with IAEA Deputy Director General and Director of the Department of Nuclear and Physical Security Lida Evrar, UNN reports .
Details
It is noted that Russia does not allow Ukrainian licensed personnel to enter the industrial site and blocks the operation of the automated radiation monitoring system (ARMS) at ZNPP.
Because of this , Ukraine and the international nuclear community in general receive information on the state of nuclear and radiation safety at nuclear power plants with a significant delay.
The presence of a permanent IAEA monitoring mission at Zaporizhzhya NPP is important for Ukraine and the international nuclear community, primarily in terms of informing about the state of nuclear and radiation safety. We all understand that the Agency's experts collect information on the radiation situation at the nuclear power plant virtually manually. Due to the blocking of ASKRO by the Russian invaders, Ukraine is now virtually deprived of the opportunity to implement the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident
He added that this is happening against the backdrop of other criminal actions of the Russian occupiers.
They continue to operate Unit 4 in a hot shutdown state, which is contrary to the terms of the SNRIU licenses, which clearly state that all six ZNPP units should be operated only in a cold shutdown state.
According to him, this significantly increases the threats to nuclear and radiation safety at ZNPP in the context of the loss of a reliable source of water supply, as the Kakhovka reservoir was destroyed by the Russians.
In addition, ZNPP does not have stable power supply from the Ukrainian power grid (ZNPP has been blacked out 8 times since the occupation) and there is no proper maintenance and repair of security systems and safety-related equipment.
Addendum
At the same time, the SNRIU Chairman also thanked for the work of the IAEA experts as part of permanent monitoring missions at industrial sites of nuclear power plants controlled by Ukraine.
In turn, Lydie Evrard voiced a number of proposals to improve the efficiency of these missions of the Agency and expand their functional responsibilities.
For information
The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident is an agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to which a state recognizes that when any nuclear or radiological accident occurs on its territory that could potentially affect another state, it will immediately notify the IAEA and other states that may be affected.
The information to be reported includes the time of the incident, the location, and the likely amount of radioactivity released.
Recall
The IAEA Board of Governors has adopted a resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of all unauthorized personnel, including the Russian military, from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its immediate return to full control of the competent authorities of Ukraine in accordance with the existing license.
