The intensification of hostilities around the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia (southern Ukraine) increases the threat of a nuclear disaster again, warns the head of the UN nuclear organization, DPA cites.

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on Friday that he had seen with his own eyes “clear signs of military preparations” around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant when he visited it three weeks ago.

“Since then, our experts working at the plant have frequently reported hearing detonations, sometimes indicating heavy bombing not far from the plant. I am deeply concerned about the situation at the plant,” Grossi said Friday in a statement published on the IAEA’s official website.

According to Grossi, over the past week, IAEA experts have heard bombing almost every day, and once they were even advised to go down to the bomb shelter.

Fears of a nuclear accident have grown in the context of an expected military counteroffensive by Ukraine to retake territories occupied by Russian forces. The Zaporizhzhia region is considered a possible hot spot for Kyiv’s counterattack.

The six-reactor plant, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, should not be used as a base for attacks and should not come under fire, Grossi said, again pleading for increased protection of the sensitive site. He said that he will continue negotiations on this matter with both the Russians and the Ukrainians.

Last summer, the regular bombing of the factory area led to some problems with the external power supply. Diesel generators were used for their own needs, “the last line of defense to prevent reactor fuel from melting.”

For safety reasons, the plant was stopped last year and transferred to a “cold state”. But this does not exclude the danger of an accident, warns the IAEA in Vienna.

The head of the IAEA reminded that the plant in Zaporizhzhia currently relies on one power transmission line with a capacity of 750 kilovolts to cool the reactors and ensure the operation of other safety systems. Before the war, the factory had four such lines, says Grossi.

On April 18, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine stated that the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP continues to deteriorate, especially in terms of technical operation of the plant, Unian notes.

According to the estimates of NAEC “Energoatom”, the losses caused to the company as a result of the destruction reached 32 billion hryvnias, since this is the property and infrastructure of the plant in Zaporizhzhia and other separate units occupied by Russian troops.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP also has “secret American technology” and Washington has warned Moscow not to touch it, Unian also notes. (Agerpres)