Enhancing Nuclear Safety: Protecting Nuclear Power Plants Against Military Threats

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the risks posed to nuclear safety by military threats, using the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a case study to argue for strengthened regulations and enforcement mechanisms to protect nuclear facilities, particularly within Africa.

• The African Union views nuclear energy as a critical component for the continent's socio-economic development and industrialisation, with more than 16 African countries currently advancing nuclear programmes at different stages.
• The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the first military occupation of an operational nuclear power plant, specifically the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant—one of the world's 10 largest facilities with six reactors and a 6,000 MW capacity—which has been occupied since March 2022. This event is seen as setting a dangerous precedent that reduces the threshold for nuclear safety violations.
• While the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) prohibits armed attacks on nuclear installations under Article 11, the report suggests these provisions may be insufficient to handle the complex risks associated with modern armed conflicts.
• The report identifies five priority areas for strengthening nuclear safety and security: creating internationally binding regulations with enforcement to prevent military occupation or attacks; expanding the IAEA's monitoring mandate; protecting non-formally classified nuclear-related infrastructure; ensuring the human and labour rights of nuclear personnel during occupations; and increasing corporate accountability for nuclear operating companies.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2026). Enhancing Nuclear Safety: Protecting Nuclear Power Plants Against Military Threats. https://saiia.org.za/research/enhancing-nuclear-safety-protecting-nuclear-power-plants-against-military-threats/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Enhancing Nuclear Safety: Protecting Nuclear Power Plants Against Military Threats. 2026. https://saiia.org.za/research/enhancing-nuclear-safety-protecting-nuclear-power-plants-against-military-threats/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Enhancing Nuclear Safety: Protecting Nuclear Power Plants Against Military Threats |date=26 March 2026 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/enhancing-nuclear-safety-protecting-nuclear-power-plants-against-military-threats/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2026enhancing, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Enhancing Nuclear Safety: Protecting Nuclear Power Plants Against Military Threats}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/enhancing-nuclear-safety-protecting-nuclear-power-plants-against-military-threats/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }