Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant 'living on borrowed time', says UN nuclear chief
Two landmine explosions occurred outside the plant's perimeter fence -- the first on 8 April, and another four days later
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. AFP File
Vienna, Austria: After two recent landmine explosions near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia facility, UN nuclear head Rafael Grossi warned on Thursday that “we are living on borrowed time.”
The facility, which is the biggest atomic power station in Europe, has often been the subject of concerns from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In March of last year, Russian soldiers seized control of the six-reactor complex in troubled southern Ukraine.
“We are living on borrowed time when it comes to nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Grossi said in a statement.
“Unless we take action to protect the plant, our luck will sooner or later run out, with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment,” he added.
Two landmine explosions occurred outside the plant’s perimeter fence — the first on 8 April, and another four days later, according to the statement.
It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts, it said.
Grossi met senior Russian officials in Kaliningrad last week and prior to this with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Zaporizhzhia to discuss a safety plan.
He also warned on Thursday that the plant continued to depend on a single still-functioning power line, posing “a major risk to nuclear safety and security”.
A backup power line damaged on 1 March has still not been repaired, the IAEA said.
It also said the staffing situation at the plant remained “complex and challenging”, in part because of staff shortages.
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