The international community should take seriously warnings about the physical condition of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) official said. On Thursday, a team of 14 IAEA officials visited the nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, after months of negotiations. The factory has been held by the Russian armed forces since it was seized in March. Operated by Ukrainian engineers. “Military activity and operations are increasing in this part of the country. And that worries me a lot,” IAEA director-general Raphael Grossi said during a press conference in Vienna on Friday after visiting the plant. The team itself was delayed in reaching the site due to shelling. Two IAEA officials will remain at the site to monitor the situation and provide updates to the organization. “We have to get his [Grossi’s] warnings very seriously,” Tariq Rauf, the former head of verification and security policy at the IAEA, told As It Happens guest Katie Simpson. Here’s part of his conversation with As It Happens. What stood out to you most from that press conference, in terms of safety and security? I think we were a bit reassured, although he expressed his concern about the ongoing fighting in the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. He also said that although… the Ukrainian staff was operating under considerable psychological pressure, however, they were professionals and did their job well. He was also concerned that not all the safety systems in the reactor were working, but enough were working to give us some level of comfort, so to speak. United Nations vehicles carrying members of the IAEA inspection mission leave the city of Zaporizhzhia on September 1. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images) There will be inspectors now permanently stationed at this nuclear plant. Describe what kind of environment you think they will be working in. The director-general said there would be two IAEA staff members who would have a continuous presence. And I think these will mainly be security and safety experts in the control room, which the IAEA team visited. They didn’t see any soldiers, he said. However, the atmosphere was tense since the factory itself and the entire area there is under Russian military occupation. Thus, these two IAEA staff members will be in 24/7 communication with IAEA headquarters and should they encounter any problems or difficulties, they will immediately notify the IAEA here in Vienna. Are you worried about their safety? Are they really ready to operate in a war zone? Some people have described these two poor staff members as some sort of hostages or human shields, and in one sense, that may be true. This means that perhaps both sides, or whichever side is attacking the factory, will now stop doing so, or at least reduce the intensity of their operations. But I think it’s important that the two IAEA staff members can provide an independent technical assessment of what’s going on in the two operating reactors. Four of the six reactors are down, but still have nuclear fuel on site. This would cause a radioactive accident if hit. Mr Grossi has suggested that one of his big concerns is power outages, can you explain why that is such a big concern at the moment? Yes. So every nuclear power plant must have [an] external power supply to run the cooling system — the water that keeps the reactor cool and also the nuclear fuel cool. In the event of a power loss, even if the reactor is shut down, there is a lot of residual heat in the nuclear material from the fission reaction. And so the reactors have a backup cooling system and then also a backup on the backup, and likewise two backups on the power supply. So he said that of the four main power lines entering the Zaporizhzhia NPP, only one is operational. But there is also a backup power line from a dam and there are also diesel generators on site. So for now, the power situation is fine. However, with only one main power line, we are still at risk. UN vehicles carrying members of the IAEA inspection mission drive on a road outside the city of Zaporizhzhia, following their visit to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. (Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images) Ukraine accuses the Russians of interfering with the work of the IAEA … how concerned is the IAEA to maintain its sense of impartial player? The general manager made no complaint. And I think the Ukrainian side, first of all, should thank the IAEA team that risked their lives to carry out this mission, instead of criticizing it. The director-general said he will report to the UN Security Council on Tuesday and then we can get a full report on what he saw and what obstacles or difficulties, if any, he faced during his visit. What will you hope to learn in the coming days and weeks? We hope at least the intensity of the fighting will stop. There are also demands from Ukraine, which I think are very reasonable, to demilitarize the reactor site and eventually return it to Ukrainian control. Failing that, at least military hostilities in and around the site should cease immediately or as soon as possible. Do you think there is any realistic chance of that happening? I don’t think so, unfortunately. With files from the Associated Press. Interview produced by Kevin Robertson. This Q&A has been edited and condensed.
