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Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko says the world must rethink the safety of nuclear power plants.
On Tuesday, a donor conference begins in Paris. During it, money will be collected for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s destroyed infrastructure.
Halushchenko is attending the conference and is expected to appeal for support to help the country and its residents through the colder months.
Halushchenko said on Monday that the war in Ukraine has forced the world to reassess how it views the safety of nuclear power plants after Russia seized control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
Despite Western powers and the UN’s atomic energy agency, the IAEA, raising the alarm over the safety of the facility – which has six nuclear reactors – talks aimed at demilitarizing the site have stalled.
– No one expected that they would be able to take a nuclear power plant. This situation absolutely forces us to reconsider what we should do from a security point of view, says Halushchenko.
Since the capture of Zaporizhzhya, Russian forces have continued to shell power lines that connect the facility to Ukraine’s energy grid, says Halushchenko.
Since October, Russia has changed tactics and is conducting airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy network. The conference in France will focus on how Ukraine’s allies in the West can provide immediate support for the country’s civil infrastructure to function during ongoing bombings.