Invasion puts Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors at risk, monitors warn

Bloomberg

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is unfolding in a nation with 15 atomic reactors operating near full capacity, exposing Europe’s second-biggest nuclear fleet to potential safety risks. Monitors at the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an email that they’re gravely concerned by the situation and remain in contact with Ukrainian nuclear-safety regulators. Reactors require steady supplies of electricity and water, both of which could be put at risk by military action.
Russian forces have already taken control of the defunct Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and the Defense Ministry in Moscow said it had reached an agreement with guards at the site to jointly ensure safety, according to an Interfax report Friday. It added that background radiation levels were within normal ranges.
The IAEA said there had been no damage to the structures at Chernobyl, which contain the residual radiation left over from the 1986 meltdown. The agency said it’s now focused on ensuring the safety and security of Ukraine’s operating plants.
“It is of vital importance that the safe and secure operations of the nuclear facilities in that zone should not be affected or disrupted in any way,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. “The IAEA is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine with a special focus on the safety and security of its nuclear power plants.”
Ukraine is Europe’s second-biggest generator of nuclear power after France. Energoatom, the utility which runs its reactors, said in a statement that plant operations were stable even as Russia’s military incursion unfolded.
“Ukraine is at war, people are dying, defenders are heroically repelling enemy attacks,” Energoatom said Friday on its website. “Our common goal is to ensure a reliable electricity supply, despite these difficult circumstances.”