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Prospect of Nuclear Accident 'Dangerously Close' at Zaporizhzhia Power Plant in Ukraine, International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Warns Security Council

Meetings Coverage
Security Council

9604th Meeting (PM)

SC/15662
15 April 2024

The Security Council met this afternoon at the request of Slovenia and the United States - the co-penholders on political issues in Ukraine - to discuss the safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar. The briefing is the Council's seventh meeting on the issue of nuclear safety and security in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.

(Note: Due to the financial liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations and the resulting time constraints, the full press release will be published at a later date.)

THREATS TO INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

Briefing

RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recalled that it has been more than two years since the war began — "the first ever to be fought amid the facilities of a major nuclear power programme". IAEA staff are continuously present to monitor the situation at all five of Ukraine's nuclear power plants — including at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which remains under Russian Federation operational control. At this point, he recalled the five principles he established in the Council chamber on 30 May 2023 to prevent a nuclear accident and maintain the integrity of the Zaporizhzhia plant. These are: there should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant; the plant should not be used as storage for heavy weapons or military personnel; off-site power to the plant should not be put at risk; all structures, systems and components essential to the plant's safe operation should be protected from attack or sabotage; and no action should be taken that undermines these principles.

He pointed out, however, that — despite clear support from Council members and Ukraine — the first of these principles has been violated repeatedly in what marks a "step-change increase in risk" to nuclear safety and security at the plant. On 7 April, the International Support and Assistance Mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant confirmed the first attacks since November 2022 to directly target the plant. "These reckless attacks must cease immediately," he underscored, noting that — while they have not led to a radiological incident this time — they significantly increase the risk at the plant, where nuclear safety is already compromised. Also pointing out that the plant is currently relying on just two lines of external power, he spotlighted at least four occasions over the past year when the plant has had only one line of external power.

"Let me put it plainly — two years of war are weighing heavily on nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant," he stressed. Every one of the IAEA's seven pillars of nuclear safety and security have been compromised, he observed, urging: "We cannot sit by and watch as the final weight tips the finely balanced scale." Even though the plant's six reactors are now in cold shutdown, the potential danger of a major nuclear accident remains. For its part, the IAEA will continue to closely follow the plant's operational status and provide technically viable alternatives. "Our work at this facility remains essential," he underscored, adding that this has been recognized by all parties, regardless of their side in this conflict. However, to be effective, IAEA teams need timely access to assess the plant's condition and evaluate the cumulative impact of 26 months of war on nuclear safety. "We are getting dangerously close to a nuclear accident," he stressed, urging the Council to support the IAEA's principles, pillars and role.

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