Working conditions at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine are of concern to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In the latest daily report, released on Tuesday (8) by the entity that monitors the environment amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Russian control of the facilities, the precarious conditions pose a threat to the unit’s security.
According to the agency, the situation of the employees of Chernobyl is worse than that of those who work in the plants that supply the country today. The entity points out that there has been no change of shift between employees since the eve of the takeover of the unit by the Russians.
“In contrast to the current situation of employees at operating nuclear plants in Ukraine, who are regularly rotating, the same shift has been on duty at the Chernobyl NPP since the day before the Russian military entered the 1986 accident site on 24 February, living there for the last 13 days”, quotes an excerpt from the document.
The report also provides information that the Ukrainian regulatory body has made basic requests to improve working conditions and safety, and that it is only able to communicate with the unit by email.
“It added that employees had access to food and water and medicine to a limited extent. However, the situation of employees was getting worse. He asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan to replace current staff and to provide the facility with an effective relay system,” reads another excerpt.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the IAEA has highlighted the importance of employees being able to rest and work regular shifts. The agency emphasizes that the ability to make decisions free from undue pressure is crucial to nuclear safety and one of the seven indispensable pillars of the activity.
IAEA Director General, Argentine Rafael Grossi, said he was ready to travel to Chernobyl and elsewhere to help protect Ukraine’s nuclear facilities from the parties to the conflict.
“I am deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation faced by employees at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there”, he says.
Brazilian representative at the IAEA, the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN), based in Rio de Janeiro, monitors the situation. At this time, the handling of nuclear material at Chernobyl is suspended. The area, situated in an exclusion zone, includes decommissioned reactors and facilities with radioactive waste.
Currently, according to the Ukrainian regulator, eight of the country’s 15 nuclear reactors are in operation. The number includes two at the Zaporizhzhya plant, the largest of its kind in Europe. The unit has been under Russian control since last Friday (4). During the conflict, a training building caught fire, but the fire was soon brought under control and took place in an area where there was no radioactive material. Radiation levels at the site are normal, officials said.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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