Vienna, 29 August 2022 (TDI): Director General of IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi announced that the Support & Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ) from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is on its way to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The agenda of the Support & Assistance Mission is to keep the biggest nuclear site in Europe and Ukraine safe and secure.
The day has come, @IAEAorg‘s Support and Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) is now on its way. We must protect the safety and security of #Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear facility. Proud to lead this mission which will be in #ZNPP later this week. pic.twitter.com/tyVY7l4SrM
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) August 29, 2022
The long-requested accessibility to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor in Ukraine may shortly be granted, according to the IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
Moreover, Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the IAEA, announced on Monday that the team is “already on its way.” The notice featured a photo of 13 employees that looked to have been taken at Vienna Airport’s VIP terminal.
Furthermore, concerns about a nuclear disaster have been raised as a result of fighting near the facility, which is in the town of Enerhoder in southeast Ukraine.
Adding to that, these worries have primarily centered on concerns about damage to the plant’s infrastructure, which includes six water-cooled reactors with uranium 235 designed by the Soviet Union & concerns about disruptions to the plant’s power source, which could result in overheating and potential explosions.
Also Read: IAEA accepts Ukraine’s invitation to Zaporizhzhia facility
Moving ahead, strikes close to the facility have been attributed to both Russia and Ukraine, with Ukraine accusing Russia of utilizing the vicinity of the plant as a bastion from which to launch attacks and stockpile weapons.
Hence, to prevent the plant from becoming targeted in the conflict, the UN and Kyiv have demanded the removal of military hardware and personnel. Moscow has charged Ukraine with firing carelessly on the facility.
Attacks were recorded over the weekend on both the Ukraine-controlled right bank of the Dnieper River, which includes the communities of Nikopol and Marhanets, which are both approximately 10 kilometers (six miles) from the facility and the Ukraine-controlled left bank, which is near to the plant.
Two of the plant’s six reactors were operational at the time, according to a report from the IAEA, and the previous fighting had damaged a water conduit, which has since been repaired. The IAEA also noted that radiation levels around the plant were currently normal.
The IAEA stated in a tweet on Monday that its inspectors would “examine physical damage,” “conduct urgent safeguards activities,” and check circumstances for the Ukrainian employees who are still in charge of the site.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, cautioned on Monday that the agency’s upcoming expedition to the Zaporizhzhia plant would be it’s most difficult one.
Kuleba during a visit to Stockholm, said, “This mission will be the hardest in the history of the IAEA, given the active combat activities undertaken by the Russian Federation on the ground and also the very blatant way that Russia is trying to legitimize its presence”.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna, said, “We hope that the visit of the IAEA mission to the station will dispel numerous speculation about the unfavorable state of affairs at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant”.
