The Nuclear Power Plant in Zaporizhia warns of a lack of staff

2023-05-11 08:17:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Nuclear Power Plant in Zaporizhia warns of a lack of staff

Illustrative photo

Enerhoatom, the operator of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, has warned that Russia plans to "forcefully evacuate" around 3,100 workers from Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which is already facing a "catastrophic shortage of qualified personnel".

According to a statement from Enerhoatom on May 10, initially 2,700 workers who signed contracts with Russian energy officials will be relocated from the town near the plant, which has been occupied by Russian troops since they took control of it shortly after Russia launched its occupation of Ukraine in February 2022.

Enerhoatom said Russia had been "incapable" of securing operations at the plant and that evacuating such a large number of workers would affect the safety of the facility.

"This will exacerbate the already extremely urgent situation of having a sufficient number of personnel to ensure the safe operation of the plant," said representatives of the operator.

The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said on May 10 that Russian troops had begun evacuating family members of plant workers.

Last weekend, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was "extremely concerned" after Ukrainian forces stepped up shelling near the Zaporozhye region.

"The overall situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous," Grossi said in a statement.

"I am extremely concerned about the real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant," he said.

Russia's nuclear power plant operator, Rosenergoatom, said on May 9 that there had been no changes to the plant's operation and that the situation was "stable."

Since Russian forces seized the nuclear power plant, Moscow and Kiev have accused each other of targeting it.

The reactors at the Soviet plant have been shut down, but there is a risk that the nuclear fuel could overheat if the power supply to the cooling systems is cut.

The factory has been forced to operate with backup generators several times since the Russian invasion./ Rel