The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the organization that oversees everything related to nuclear in Canada, is currently “in a state of heightened vigilance, in accordance with [son] emergency plan”.
• Read also: [EN DIRECT] 9th day of war in Ukraine: here are all the developments
• Read also: War in Ukraine: Justin Trudeau will travel to Europe
In a statement released Friday, the CNSC said it was “deeply concerned” by “the risk to nuclear facilities” in Ukraine, particularly at the Zaporozhye site, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located.
The Zaporozhye site passed into Russian hands following a tank attack in the early hours of Friday. The plant has a total capacity of nearly 6,000 megawatts, enough to power regarding four million homes.
- Listen to Mario Dumont’s interview with Guillaume Lavoie, associate member of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair and observer in Ukraine 3 times on QUB radio:
“It is important to note that there is no immediate radiological threat to the regions surrounding nuclear facilities in Ukraine or to Canadians,” the CNSC said.
A fire broke out on a unit at the plant during the attack, prompting nuclear experts to fear the worst. The fire was extinguished by local firefighters, according to the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The latter assured that none of the six reactors had been affected by the attack. “There was no release of radioactive material,” he said at a press briefing on Friday.
Radiation levels remained at normal levels following the attack.
“The CNSC has staff who are familiar with reactor technology, and we have offered our nuclear safety assistance to the IAEA and Ukraine’s nuclear regulator,” the Canadian agency continued. .
The American embassy in Ukraine denounced it as a “war crime”. “We have just witnessed a new dangerous escalation which represents an immense threat for all of Europe and the world”, declared the ambassador.
Following the seizure of the plant by Russian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladmir Putin’s Russia of waving “nuclear terror”.
