IAEA Chief Warns of Risk of Nuclear Accident at Kursk Nuclear Power Plant

Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. (Wikimedia Commons/RIA Novosti archive, image #341199/Sergey Pyatakov/CC-BY-SA 3.0)

JAKARTA - The head of the United Nations nuclear agency warned of the risk of a nuclear accident and a serious situation at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.

That was said by the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, after visiting the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant which was the target of an attack in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"The danger or possibility of a nuclear accident has emerged nearby," Grossi told reporters, referring to the fact that fighting was taking place in the surrounding Kursk region, reported by Reuters on August 27.

Russia says the nuclear power plant has been repeatedly attacked by Ukrainian forces just 40 km (25 miles) away, after taking control of part of Russia this month. Ukraine has not responded to the accusations.

Ukraine launched an attack on Russia's Kursk region on August 6, where thousands of troops supported by tanks and armored vehicles crossed the border.

Grossi said the nuclear power plant was very fragile because it did not have a protective dome. He said the location was currently still operating very close to normal conditions, but this meant the security situation was more serious.

Separately, Russian state nuclear company Rosenergoatom said Grossi had managed to convince himself that the plant’s Number Three reactor was operating at planned capacity, while its fourth reactor had been undergoing scheduled maintenance since Sunday. He was also shown a new reactor block under construction, he said.

Grossi’s visit was reported earlier as a response to security concerns raised by Ukraine’s offensive into the Kursk region.

On August 22, Ukraine attempted a kamikaze drone attack on the Kursk nuclear plant, but the drone was shot down near a spent fuel storage facility.

The Kursk NPP is one of Russia’s largest nuclear power plants and a key part of the country’s Unified Energy System, which provides electricity to 19 regions in the Central Federal District.