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Fighting in Ukraine remains main risk to nuclear safety — IAEA chief

Rafael Grossi also emphasized the importance of finding a long-term solution for cooling the water used at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi Alexander Melikhov/TASS

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi

© Alexander Melikhov/TASS

VIENNA, November 19. /TASS/. Fighting in Ukraine poses the main risk to global nuclear safety, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said at the regular session of the agency's Board of Governors.

"Today, the greatest risk to nuclear safety remains the war in Ukraine. Just because an accident has not yet happened, does not mean it can’t. In fact, the risk is growing as the military conflict is escalating," he said.

Grossi also emphasized the importance of finding a long-term solution for cooling the water used at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). "It is of paramount importance that a nuclear accident at the ZNPP is prevented. Meanwhile, even with all six reactors remaining in cold shutdown, a longer-term solution for cooling water at the ZNPP needs to be found," the IAEA chief noted.

At the IAEA conference in Vienna in September, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said that the only real threat to the ZNPP and its employees is the reckless actions of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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