IAEA says loses contact with Chernobyl nuke data systems

THE Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP) is no longer transmitting data to the UN’s atomic watchdog, the agency said on March 8, as it voiced concern for staff working at the Ukrainian facility.

On February 24, the first day of the Ukraine conflict, the regime lost control of the defunct plant, site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi “indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost”, the agency said in a statement.

“The agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon,” it said.

The IAEA uses the term “safeguards” to describe technical measures it applies to nuclear material and activities, with the objective of deterring the spread of nuclear weapons through early detection of the misuse of such material.

More than 200 technical staff and guards remain trapped at the site.

The situation for the staff “was worsening” at the site, the IAEA said, citing the Ukrainian nuclear regulator.

The defunct plant sits inside an exclusion zone that houses decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities.

More than 2,000 staff still work at the plant as it requires constant management to prevent another nuclear disaster.

The UN agency called for workers to be allowed to rotate, underlining that rest and regular shifts were crucial to the site’s safety.