IAEA gains access to additional monitoring of ZNPP: IAEA chief

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Jul 2023 13:28

The IAEA is planning to gain access to the roof of the station once an official request is filed.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), photographed July 5, 2023 in Okuma, Japan (AP)

Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has gained access to additional monitoring at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP).

The IAEA can now access the cooling pools of the station, Grossi said during a briefing in Japan, noting that no mines or explosives were found at the facilities inspected by the agency's inspectors.

He said that the IAEA is planning to gain access to the roof of the station once an official request is filed.

However, since the station is located in the heart of the battlefield, the request is likely to take a while to process, Grossi said.

A week ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is allegedly plotting to detonate the plant and has already hidden mines inside the station.

The agency has established a permanent presence at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe since September 2022. Since it has been under the control of Russian troops, it has been repeatedly shelled by Ukrainian forces, raising concerns of a possible nuclear disaster.

On July 4, a spokesman for Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, said that Kiev is scheming plans to carry out an attack on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP) on July 5, and will do so using high-precision weapons and drones.

"Today we received information that I am authorized to talk about... On July 5, literally at night in the dark, the Ukrainian armed forces will try to attack the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant using high-precision long-range means and unmanned kamikaze aircraft," the spokesperson said on air of Rossiya 24 broadcaster, adding that Kiev's forces plan to use ammunition loaded with radioactive waste removed from the South Ukraine NPP on July 3.