Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), described the recent bombing of Europe’s largest nuclear plant as “out of control” and “extremely serious”. Violence amid the war in Ukraine “highlights the very real risk of nuclear catastrophe,” according to the United Nations watchdog. ‘No basis’ for Zelenskyy-Putin peace talks – watch Ukraine updates live While Russia and Ukraine traded blows – accusing the other side of “nuclear terrorism” – Mr Grossi called for “utmost restraint” around the site. Experts, meanwhile, warn that the plant’s involvement in the conflict could lead to a nuclear accident similar to the one at Japan’s Fukushima in 2011. What happened on Saturday? Enerhodar’s exiled mayor Dmytro Orlov said locals told him of new Russian shelling in the direction of the city’s industrial zone and the Zaporizhia factory. It was unclear if any shells hit the factory floor. Local official Vladimir Rogov wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian forces are shelling the factory. “According to witnesses, explosions are heard again in the city,” Mr. Rogov said, adding that the shells fell in the area of the power station, without specifying whether they hit the factory area. Ukraine’s defense intelligence service said Russia was preparing new “provocations” at the plant, saying Russian troops had placed a Pion self-propelled howitzer outside the nearby town and planted a Ukrainian flag on it. About a week ago, shelling near Enerhodar hit a high-voltage power line that feeds the nearby nuclear power plant, Reuters reported. Although officials confirmed there were no radioactive leaks as a result, it saw operators disconnect one of the site’s reactors as a safety measure. The next day, Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom said Russian missiles destroyed three radioactivity monitors at the plant’s spent nuclear fuel storage facility. One worker was injured, they added. Russian news agency Interfax reported that Ukrainian forces fired the shells and that they only hit one of the site’s administrative buildings. What is the background? There have been several reports of missiles at the plant since the start of the war. In the early hours of March 4th, just after the Russian invasion, a rocket hit a training building and set it on fire. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service soon reported that operators had shut down one of the nuclear reactors as a precaution, but radiation levels were normal and no key infrastructure had been damaged. Zaporizhzhia is home to six nuclear reactors, making it the largest plant in Europe. It has a capacity of six gigawatts, which is enough energy to power four million homes, and is located near the Dnipro River in southwestern Ukraine. Experts believe only three of the reactors have been in use since the Russian invasion, with Ukrainian staff still working there – but under duress. Reactors could ‘withstand a plane crash’ The reactor is the heart of any nuclear power plant. Here, controlled nuclear reactions generate enough heat to turn water into steam, which is then used to create energy. There are two types – boiling water reactors and pressurized water reactors. Zaporizhzhia hosts the latter, which are much safer than the former used at the Chernobyl site, where the 1986 disaster led to a massive leak of radioactivity and dozens of direct and indirect deaths. Professor Claire Corkhill, chair in the degradation of nuclear materials at the University of Sheffield, told Sky News: “After Chernobyl, there have been many lessons. “One of the main ones was that the reactors would have to be in very sturdy buildings, so now they’re built in huge reinforced concrete containers. “A plane could fly into these buildings and they wouldn’t be damaged.” The reactors also have built-in fire protection, and if the power supply to them fails, they have backup diesel-powered generators that last about three days. Image: Photo: AP Other infrastructure remains at risk However, there are still other parts of the plant that are vulnerable to damage. Once the radioactive fuel inside the reactor is used to its full capacity, it is placed in a large cooling pond for about two years before being moved to a dry storage facility. According to Ukraine’s nuclear regulator Energoatom, Saturday’s strikes destroyed three radioactivity monitors at one of the spent fuel storage facilities. Professor Corkhill says: “A missile hitting the cooling pond building is a concern as the water is highly radioactive and a leak could spread radioactivity to the area. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:51 Petro Poroshenko warns about Zaporizhia “A hit in dry cask storage is less of a concern, as the nuclear fuel is well protected by thick metal and concrete containers.” But as Tony Roulstone, a lecturer in nuclear energy at Cambridge University, warns, a direct hit to either could cause a leak. “These reinforcements are not designed against military weapons,” he said. “This plant is trapped in a war zone – and nuclear power and war don’t mix.” Each hit removes a vital safety defense When Friday’s bombing hit a power line to the plant, the reactor was shut down as a safety measure. But Mr Roulstone warns that in a war, when local supplies of diesel run out, getting more could prove difficult. “There are defenses in depth at every nuclear plant,” he said. “But when you have collateral damage, you remove one or more of these defenses and therefore increase risk.” Subscribe to Ukraine War Diaries on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker Professor Corkhill agrees, adding: “The more missiles you fire in the direction of a nuclear power station, the greater the risk of a catastrophic nuclear accident. “If the power supply is down, but the diesel-powered generators are running, it gives enough time to put the reactor into a cold shutdown – essentially shut down the reactor and make it safe before a meltdown happens. “But if the power supply and backup generators are damaged, then the chance of an accident is very high. “The Fukushima accident spread radioactivity hundreds of kilometers – so the same could happen in Zaporizhia.” Depending on the size of the leak, it could mean thousands of people are displaced from their homes and their health is put at great risk by dangerous levels of radioactivity. If all the nuclear reactors at the plant have to be shut down, millions who are already struggling would be left without electricity.
