Statement from World Nuclear Association on recent events at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine

08 August 2022

World Nuclear Association condemns the recent attacks to and from the surroundings of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine and calls on all parties to immediately cease all hostilities in the vicinity of the plant. The use of a civilian nuclear energy facility for military operations in unconscionable.   

The reported recent attacks, while resulting in relatively minor damage, are reported to have resulted in shrapnel injuries to one of the workers at the plant.

It is one of the seven pillars set out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that nuclear workers should be able to carry out their duties without hindrance, including being free from concerns about personal risk of injury when working at the plant, and when travelling to and from their homes.

We would like to express our continued appreciation for the professionalism and dedication demonstrated by the workers at the plant, despite the very difficult conditions in which they are forced to perform their duties.

World Nuclear Association reaffirms its support for the principles set out in the Seven Pillars Framework established by the IAEA.

We call on all parties involved to grant representatives of the IAEA immediate safe transport to the Zaporizhzhia plant and facilitate full and unfettered access to the plant to establish current conditions there and to support the safe operation of the plant as well as full reporting of relevant data going forward.