Simson: “EU working to respond to nuclear accident in Zaporizhzhia”

Brussels – The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is now scary. The European Commission fears accidents and is working on the worst-case scenario,  which was always in the background and never really underestimated. Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson admits that the College of Commissioners “has increased preparedness for radiological incidents and conducted modeling work to assess the impact of a nuclear accident in Ukraine.” Work that is being carried out with national governments. “The Commission works with Member States to enhance preparedness and response in case of a radiological or nuclear emergency in Ukraine.”

The hope is that we will never have to resort to emergency plans; meanwhile, the EU is preparing. Simson’s admission comes in response to the parliamentary question submitted by Lithuanian EPP MEP Liudas Mažylis. He recalls that, in any case, the EU executive has never been idle since the Zaporizhzhia plant ended up at the center of the Russian-Ukrainian war. “The Commission closely monitors the situation at the plant.” It does so “regularly” together with the Ukrainian Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), “whose continued presence, supported by the EU, is crucial for updates on the situation.”

In this continuous and regular monitoring activity, the Commission, Simson further explains, “monitors radiation levels across Europe through its European Radiological Data Exchange Platform with multiple reading points in Ukraine.” In addition, the EU has already provided Kyiv with relevant preventive assistance, namely “Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) equipment and medical assistance.”