IAEA chief inspects Kyivska substation and warns of ‘nuclear accident’

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi visited Kyivska power substation and said there was a possibility of a ‘nuclear accident’.

Grossi wrote about this on the social network X. 

‘I’m at Kyivska electrical substation—an important part of Ukraine’s power grid essential for nuclear safety. A nuclear accident can result from a direct attack on a plant, but also from power supply disruption,’ Grossi wrote.

He added that the IAEA has arrived in Ukraine to help prevent this.

It should be noted that the Rivne NPP-Kyivska Substation transmission line is a 750 kV power line between Rivne NPP and Kyivska Substation that supplies the city of Kyiv, the Central and Northern regions.

Earlier, the Associated Press reported that new Russian air attacks have increased attention to the inability of Ukraine's Energy Ministry to protect energy facilities. Analysts say that the construction of defences for distribution stations near nuclear power plants started too late - only in autumn 2024.

Distribution stations also perform an important function: they supply electricity to nuclear power plants from the external grid, which is needed to cool their reactors and spent fuel. The UN nuclear agency has repeatedly warned that a failure could potentially lead to a catastrophe.