The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will inspect four nuclear sites at the request of the Ukrainian government, including the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in order to verify that they are in good condition.
According to the agreement signed by the Ukrainian Executive and the IAEA, the agency will send missions to carry out safeguards activities and will complete on-site verification activities following Russian complaints about activities at Ukrainian nuclear power plants, according to a statement from the IAEA itself.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said he has been doing «everything possible» to prevent a nuclear accident with potentially serious consequences for public health and the environment since the Ukrainian war began.
«We have delivered nuclear safety and security equipment, conducted impartial assessments of the situation, and provided advice and expertise. We are doing this important work in close cooperation with and at the request of the Ukrainian authorities,» Grossi detailed, according to the IAEA missive.
«Immediately after receiving this latest request from Ukraine, we developed concrete proposals and started preparing the technical and logistical details and are now ready to deploy these new missions soon. While the world is focused on the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporiyia nuclear power plant, we should not forget the other nuclear facilities located in a country at war,» he added.
At the latter plant, the six reactors continue to receive the external electricity they need for cooling and other essential nuclear safety and security functions from the remaining 750 kilovolt (kV) external power line.
However, according to the IAEA, «experience shows that this can change at any time» and take a «dangerous turn,» which is why Grossi has shown his readiness to agree on and implement a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the plant «as soon as possible.»
Four of the plant’s reactors remain in cold shutdown, while the other two are in hot shutdown to provide steam to the plant and also heating for the people living in Energodar, many of them plant workers and their families.
