– There is more and more bad news and in the last 24 hours there have been new fights and skirmishes there again, she tells NRK.
On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, powerful explosions were reported at the power plant occupied by Russia, the largest in Europe.
Leland says they are closely monitoring the situation at the power station, which has come under frequent attacks from Russian forces since the invasion.
Preparedness manager Astrid Leland at the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety.
Photo: Directorate of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety
– An attack inside the fence is unheard of and very disturbing in that respect, as I commented.
What is clear is that there have been very systematic attacks against the facility. We are very concerned that they will strike the nuclear reactors themselves, and thus risk releasing radioactive material. So we are following it closely. She says it’s a very worrying situation there.
International Atomic Energy Agency: Urgent Action
Management at the nuclear power plant reported some damage to buildings, systems and equipment. So far, this has not affected the safety of the facility, and no one is said to have been injured.
“What’s destroyed now wasn’t critical to maintaining nuclear safety, but all the accidents that happen at these power plants are very undesirable and can cause other things to go wrong,” says Leland.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, described the bombings as “totally unacceptable”.
Several explosions occurred at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine on Saturday and Sunday.
Photo: Telegram/ETO_ZP
He demands that they stop immediately.
– No matter who is behind it, it must be stopped immediately. As I have said many times before: You are playing with fire, Grossi’s manifesto states, among others.
He stressed that it is necessary to take action to prevent a nuclear accident.
Russia accused Ukraine of being behind the weekend attack on the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, while Ukraine, in turn, accused Russia of being behind the bombings.
Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
Photo: Andriy Andriyenko/AP
– It can last for several decades
Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is located in southeastern Ukraine.
It is so far away from Norway that any accident at the nuclear power plant would not have immediate consequences in Norway. However, the long-term consequences can be serious.
– We know that it will cause problems in food production. There can be problems, Astrid Leland says, which, at worst, can drag on for decades.
– There is still some contamination from the Chernobyl accident, as you point out.
This photo is supposed to show the damage after the attack on the power station on Saturday night.
Photo: Telegram/ETO_ZP
Pay close attention to the direction of the wind
The Chernobyl accident of 1986 is by far the deadliest nuclear accident in history.
One of the nuclear power plant’s four nuclear reactors exploded, and Norway was the country outside the Soviet Union that received the most radioactive fallout after the accident.
Therefore, the direction of the winds is important for the directorate when it monitors the situation at several weak nuclear power plants in Ukraine.
After the Chernobyl accident, the winds were against Norway, and it also rained heavily. The radioactive fallout over Norway was at its peak as it rained in the days following the accident.
– We are very careful to follow the weather, the wind and the direction in which it blows. We have daily collaboration with the Institute of Meteorology on what the weather is like.
– The worst case scenario is a direct artillery hit on the reactors themselves or if there is a power outage and there is not enough diesel for the emergency generators. In a worst-case scenario, Leland says, it could lead to a large radioactive release that could spread with the winds and weather in Europe.
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