The UN nuclear agency's board of governors on Thursday asked Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, two diplomats said, a move immediately praised by Ukraine.

The withdrawal of Russian troops from the power plant it has occupied since March has been a longstanding demand from Kyiv, who fears of a nuclear disaster if shelling continues around the plant.

The text, submitted by Canada and Poland, was approved by 26 of the 35 member states sitting on the Council of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

China and Russia voted against, while seven countries -- Burundi, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa and Vietnam -- abstained.

Ukraine energy minister German Galushchenko welcomed the decision in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Addressing the countries who abstained on the vote, he called on them to reconsider and to "stop Russia now" before someone else followed its example.

Richard Sadleir, Australia's ambassador to Vienna, tweeted: "The (IAEA) Board of Governors has sent another strong message to Russia: cease immediately all actions threatening nuclear safety and security, and return the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and all other Ukrainian territory to control."

Another diplomat confirmed the move.

The resolution supports the efforts of the IAEA which has been in talks with Russia and Ukraine over setting up a security zone around the nuclear plant.

Already in March, the IAEA passed a resolution warning about the "unprecedented danger of a nuclear accident" that would endanger not just the population of Ukraine but Europe as a whole.

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been a focal point of fighting in recent weeks, reviving fears of a nuclear incident.

A team of IAEA experts inspected the plant in early September.

Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

France's EDF faces 29-bn-euro hit from nuclear woes
Paris (AFP) Sept 15, 2022
French state energy firm EDF said Thursday that lower electricity production due to stoppages of nuclear reactors would sap its operating profit by 29 billion euros ($29 billion) in 2022, worse than previously forecast. Almost half of France's reactor fleet is offline for maintenance pushed back during the coronavirus crisis, or because of problems with corrosion uncovered in some emergency cooling systems. The company now estimates it will produce "on the low end of a range between 280-300 tera ... read more