Ukraine told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it has lost all contact with Chernobyl following a power cut at the facility, reported Reuters.
Ukraine told the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Thursday it has lost all contact with the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl next to the defunct power plant at the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986, which is now held by Russian forces.“Ukraine informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it had lost today all communications with the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the day after the Russian-controlled site lost all external power supplies,” the IAEA said in a statement, adding that before there was contact by email.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi spoke on the ongoing situation at Chernobyl, saying in a statement:
“From day to day, we are seeing a worsening situation at the Chornobyl NPP, especially for radiation safety, and for the staff managing the facility under extremely difficult and challenging circumstances,” he said. “I repeat my urgent appeal to the forces in effective control of the plant to respect internal radiation protection procedures, to facilitate the safe rotation of staff and to take other important steps to ensure safety.”
[Yes, the statement does say that. However two paragraphs above that quoted section is this:
"In the case of the Chornobyl NPP, however, he said the IAEA agreed with
the Ukrainian regulator that its disconnection from the grid would not
have a critical impact on essential safety functions at the site, where
various radioactive waste management facilities are located.
Specifically, regarding the site’s spent fuel storage facility, the
volume of cooling water in the pool is sufficient to maintain effective
heat removal from the spent fuel without a supply of electricity. The
site also has reserve emergency power supplies with diesel generators
and batteries." That is not good reporting Guardian.]
