IAEA rotates missions to all Ukrainian nuclear power plants

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has rotated missions at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants, including the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya NPP, reported the press service of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate.

Permanent IAEA missions at Ukrainian nuclear power plants were introduced at the official invitation of Ukraine to monitor the state of security at nuclear power plants in the face of Russian military aggression.

At the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the IAEA has strengthened the composition of the mission, which will monitor compliance with the five safety principles at the plant, including the inadmissibility of its use for storing ammunition and military equipment.

Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, personally visited the ZNPP to assess the consequences of the Russian demolition of the Kakhovka HPP plant and the state of the water supply for cooling the reactors. According to his conclusions, the water level in the cooling pond of the ZNPP still remains at a sufficient level after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

This is the ninth group of IAEA observers at the Zaporizhzhya NPP since the creation of the mission 10 months ago. The rotations take place regularly, although there have been several delays and postponements, sometimes caused by adverse weather conditions and the general security situation, the IAEA said.

At the Chornobyl, Rivne, South Ukrainian, and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants, permanent IAEA monitoring missions began their activities in January 2023. Rotations at these NPPs are carried out seamlessly and on time.

From June 15, 2023, Ukraine no longer receives information about the radiation status at the occupied ZNPP.

On June 17, the Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, announced that he would visit Moscow in the near future due to the situation at the ZNPP.