Legal issues of Nuclear Power Plant Safety in a War Zone

Abstract

The article discusses the legal aspects of physical protection and nuclear safety of nuclear power plants located in a combat zone. The existing multilateral international treaties in this area, namely, the 1979 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and the 2005 Amendment to the 2005 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, do not regulate the physical protection of nuclear facilities located in areas of active combat using conventional weapons. Moreover, the IAEA soft law provisions do not regulate the issues of physical protection of nuclear power plants located in areas of full-scale combat operations. The situation with the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has made the international community and the IAEA face the issue of legal regulation and development of recommendations for the physical protection of nuclear facilities in a war zone. Currently, a new concept for the physical protection of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is being discussed under the auspices of the IAEA and efforts to prepare a new international treaty on the physical security of nuclear facilities in a war zone are underway.