We obviously want to make nuclear power plants as safe as possible, whether it against natural disasters like earthquakes and the subsequent son army forkashima. We learned from the chinoble accident a very important lesson, and that was that the reactor building should be contained with a really strong, contain, reinforced containment building. But now all power stations have this very robust concrete outer shell, which has been designed to prevent an accident.
Last week, a team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The plant was seized by Russian forces in early May and has recently been the target of sustained shelling, increasing the risk of a nuclear disaster. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, who is leading the inspection team, has reported that the integrity of the plant has been violated several times. Ian Sample speaks to Prof Claire Corkhill about what this could mean for Zaporizhzhia, what the risks are if the plant loses external power, and how a nuclear meltdown can be avoided. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod