WANO Statement 4 on the Situation in Ukraine
Announcement
07 March 2022
WANO has activated its Crisis Information Centre to provide updated confirmed information to members worldwide directly on the safety status at Ukrainian nuclear facilities. Given the large amount of unverified information especially in social media, WANO strongly suggests using the public information available from the IAEA website as a reliable source that is consistent to date with its information.
WANO has two members in Ukraine: Energoatom which operates 15 Units and Specialized State Enterprise (SSE) Chernobyl, which is responsible for the decommissioning and waste management operations there. WANO continues to monitor the situation and stand ready to support its members as much as possible.
Consistent with the IAEA safety pillars 3, 5 and 7, WANO again requests that there be no interference of any kind with its member operators in Ukraine being able to safely perform their work. WANO continues to strongly support IAEA efforts to create and implement a safety framework that ensures this at all nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
IAEA seven indispensable pillars of nuclear safety and security:
1. The physical integrity of the facilities – whether it is the reactors, fuel ponds, or radioactive waste stores – must be maintained;
2. All safety and security systems and equipment must be fully functional at all times;
3. The operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure;
4. There must be secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites;
5. There must be uninterrupted logistical supply chains and transportation to and from the sites;
6. There must be effective on-site and off-site radiation monitoring systems and emergency preparedness and response measures; and
7. There must be reliable communications with the regulator and others.