Washington: US Department of Energy has activated its nuclear response team following the attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
In a tweet, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said, “I just spoke with Ukraine’s energy minister about the situation at the Zaphorizhizia nuclear plant. Russian military operations near the plant are reckless and must cease.”
She further said that the Nuclear Incident Response Team has been activated and the department is monitoring events in consultation with Department of Defense, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the White House.
“We have seen no elevated radiation readings near the facility. The plant’s reactors are protected by robust containment structures and reactors are being safely shut down,” she added.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy as the White House continues to monitor the reported fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a White House official confirmed to NBC News.
A fire had broken out at the nuclear plant in the wee hours of Friday as Russian forces attacked “from all sides,” with firefighters unable to reach the site. Later, the Intearntional Atomic Energy Agency said that there was no change in the radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.Â
