Fears for ‘exhausted’ staff trapped at Chernobyl plant in ‘deteriorating’ conditions: IAEA

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Belarus,
Mar
09:
The
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
said
that
the
situation
of
staff
at
the
Chernobyl
nuclear
power
plant
was
“deteriorating,” as
they
have
been
on
duty
continuously
for
almost
two
weeks
since
Russian
forces
took
control
of
the
area.

Ukraine
told
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
(IAEA)
today
that
it
was
becoming
increasingly
urgent
and
important
for
the
safe
management
of
the
Chornobyl
Nuclear
Power
Plant
(NPP)
to
rotate
some
210
technical
personnel
and
guards
who
have
been
working
there
since
Russian
forces
took
control
of
the
site
almost
two
weeks
ago,
Director
General
Rafael
Mariano
Grossi
said.

In
contrast
to
the
current
situation
for
staff
at
Ukraine’s
operating
nuclear
power
plants
who
are
rotating
regularly,
the
same
shift
has
been
on
duty
at
the
Chornobyl
NPP
since
the
day
before
the
Russian
military
entered
the
site
of
the
1986
accident
on
24
February,
in
effect
living
there
for
the
past
13
days,
the
regulator
said.

The
Ukrainian
regulator
added
that
the
staff
had
access
to
food
and
water,
and
medicine
to
a
limited
extent.
However,
the
situation
for
the
staff
was
worsening.
It
asked
the
IAEA
to
lead
the
international
support
needed
to
prepare
a
plan
for
replacing
the
current
personnel
and
for
providing
the
facility
with
an
effective
rotation
system.

Director
General
Grossi
has
repeatedly
stressed
that
staff
operating
nuclear
facilities
must
be
able
to
rest
and
work
in
regular
shifts,
stating
this
is
crucial
for
overall
nuclear
safety.
Their
capacity
to
make
decisions
free
of
undue
pressure
is
among
the
seven
indispensable
pillars
of
nuclear
safety
and
security
he
outlined
at
a
meeting
of
the
IAEA’s
Board
of
Governors
on
2
March,
convened
to
address
the
safety,
security
and
safeguards
implications
of
the
situation
in
Ukraine.

“I’m
deeply
concerned
about
the
difficult
and
stressful
situation
facing
staff
at
the
Chornobyl
nuclear
power
plant
and
the
potential
risks
this
entails
for
nuclear
safety.
I
call
on
the
forces
in
effective
control
of
the
site
to
urgently
facilitate
the
safe
rotation
of
personnel
there,”
he
said
today.

The
handling
of
nuclear
material
at
the
Chornobyl
NPP
has
been
put
on
hold
for
the
time
being,
the
regulator
added.
The
site,
located
in
an
Exclusion
Zone,
includes
decommissioned
reactors
as
well
as
radioactive
waste
facilities.
The
regulatory
authority
said
it
could
only
communicate
with
the
plant
via
e-mail.

To
help
protect
the
country’s
nuclear
facilities,
the
Director
General
has
expressed
his
readiness
to
travel
to
the
Chornobyl
NPP,
or
elsewhere,
to
secure
the
commitment
to
the
safety
and
security
of
all
Ukraine’s
nuclear
facilities
from
the
parties
of
the
conflict.

The
Director
General
also
indicated
that
remote
data
transmission
from
safeguards
monitoring
systems
installed
at
the
Chornobyl
NPP
had
been
lost.
The
Agency
is
looking
into
the
status
of
safeguards
monitoring
systems
in
other
locations
in
Ukraine
and
will
provide
further
information
soon.

Regarding
the
status
of
Ukraine’s
operational
nuclear
power
plants,
the
regulator
said
eight
of
the
country’s
15
reactors
were
operating,
including
two
at
the
Zaporizhzhya
NPP
controlled
since
last
week
by
Russian
forces,
and
that
the
plants’ personnel
were
working
in
shifts.
Radiation
levels
at
the
sites
were
normal,
it
said.