News Highlight
A team from the UN nuclear watchdog headed on Monday to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which Russia captured during the Russia-Ukraine war.
Key Takeaway
- Zaporizhzhia is a city in south-eastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper river.
- It is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
- It accounts for about 40% of the total electricity generated by all the Ukrainian nuclear power plants and one-fifth of Ukraine’s annual electricity production.
- The Zaporizhzhya NPP consists of six pressurised water reactor (PWR) units commissioned between 1984 and 1995, with a gross electrical capacity of 1,000 MW each.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field.
- It works for safe, secure and peaceful use, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
- The IAEA was established as an autonomous organisation on July 29th, 1957.
- Though established independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council.
- Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
- The IAEA has 175 member states as of March 2022.
- India became a member in 1957.
- IAEA Missions:
- Peaceful uses: Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by its member states
- Safeguards: Implementing safeguards to verify that nuclear energy is not used for military purposes
- Nuclear Safety: Promoting high standards for nuclear safety
- Functions:
- Recommendations to the General Conferences on IAEA activities and budget
- Responsible for publishing IAEA standards
- Response for making the most of the policy of the IAEA
- Appoints the Director General subject to General Conference approval
Pic Courtesy: iStock
Content Source: The Hindu