IAEA reports longest communications outage at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reported that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has experienced its longest communications outage yet amid reports of increased military activity nearby.
Source: Grossi, quoted by the IAEA
Details: The IAEA stated that both fixed telephone lines and internet connections at the ZNPP had not been unavailable for around 12 hours on 27 May. This was the longest such incident at the facility since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Quote from the IAEA: "The cause of the outage was not immediately clear, but it coincided with reported attacks on the city of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live.
It was yet another reminder of the constant challenges to maintaining nuclear safety and security and preventing an accident during the conflict, at the ZNPP as well as at Ukraine's operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the Chornobyl site."
Details: The IAEA also noted that repeated disruptions to electricity supply in the area around the plant had been recorded in recent days due to hostilities.
Quote from Grossi: "Incidents affecting critical electrical infrastructure are in direct contravention of the seven indispensable pillars and further underline the extreme fragility of the external power situation in Ukraine. Protecting substations and grid connections must remain a priority to preserve stable and reliable electricity supplies to nuclear facilities."
Details: Grossi also said that stable diesel fuel supplies remain critically important for maintaining reactor cooling systems and backup power supplies at the ZNPP.
In addition, the agency reported that the IAEA team at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant had been informed that a total of 20 drones had been detected within the facility's observation zone over the past week.
Background: The Russian-occupied ZNPP experienced a record-long loss of external power supply, raising concerns about the safety of the facility.
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