Protective structure of Ukraine’s Chernobyl gets damaged— IAEA

(MENAFN) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that the massive steel structure designed to prevent radioactive leakage at Ukraine’s Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was compromised during a drone strike in February and no longer fully performs its critical safety function, according to reports.

In a statement released Friday, the UN nuclear watchdog said its experts completed an assessment last week confirming that the New Safe Confinement, the enormous steel arch built to contain contamination from the 1986 disaster, suffered damage to its outer shell and experienced a fire following the attack. The agency noted that while limited temporary repairs have been made to the roof, the structure now requires extensive restoration to ensure nuclear safety.

The IAEA emphasized that the damage means the shield “can no longer fulfil its essential safety role.” Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stressed that the agency, which maintains a permanent team at the site, will continue supporting efforts to fully restore safety and security at the facility. “The IAEA, which has a permanent team at the site, will continue doing everything it can to support efforts to fully restore nuclear safety and security at the Chernobyl facility,” he said.

The statement also drew attention to ongoing concerns at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, under Russian control since March 2022. The facility temporarily lost all external power for the 11th time since the conflict began, following overnight military activity. The outage lasted around 30 minutes before the plant was reconnected to a 330-kV transmission line, although its main 750-kV line remains offline.

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