Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe and one under Russian occupation, has been cut off from its external power supply for over a week, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said this was the “longest lasting such event during more than three and a half years of war,” and that while the emergency diesel generators are providing power as a “last line of defense” and there is “no immediate danger,” it is “clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the situation was “critical” since the backup systems weren’t designed for prolonged use, while Moscow reportedly said the situation was “under control,” according to a Russian news source.
The Donald Trump administration announced a new round of sanctions on Iran Wednesday in support of the “snapback” sanctions the United Nations put on the country.
“The United States today announces the imposition of sanctions in support of the ‘snapback’ of U.N. sanctions and restrictions on Iran for ‘significant non-performance’ of its nuclear commitments,” Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio said in a statement.
The U.N. reimposed sanctions removed from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Barack Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, on Sept. 19, and reaffirmed the reimposition on Sept. 26. The reimposition of the sanctions is called a “snapback,” or an agreement in the nuclear deal to reimpose the sanctions previously removed if the U.N. felt Iran was not complying with the terms.
The National Nuclear Security Administration partnered with Texas A&M University to combat a pest that threatens U.S. farmland and livestock called New World Screwworm by replacing the former method that used radioactive cobalt with electron beam technology.
NNSA’s Office of Radiological Security worked with Texas A&M’s National Center for Electron Beam Research specifically to advance what’s called the Sterile Insect Technique, which prevents the spread of the screwworm by releasing sterilized male screwworms to halt their reproduction. Since the technique originally relies on cobalt-60 gamma sterilization, which is radioactive and could be used for nefarious purposes if in the wrong hands, NNSA sponsored modeling studies to come up with electron beam technology as the radiologically-safe alternative.
“Our mission-driven partnership with Texas A&M is essential to advancing American innovation in eBeam applications and enhancing our national security,” Kristin Hirsch, Director of the Office of Radiological Security, said in the press release. “With the support of Texas A&M AgriLife experts, NNSA is able to help combat the spread of the NWS, building stronger food systems and safer communities across the country.”