IAEA to deploy in all Ukraine NPPs to help prevent nuclear accident
The director of the IAEA says he will lead the agency's mission to Ukraine this week to establish presence in all NPPs.
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IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. (D. Calma/IAEA)
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday that the agency will increase its presence in Ukraine to help avoid a nuclear accident amid the continuation of the Ukraine war.
"@IAEAorg is expanding its presence in #Ukraine to help prevent a nuclear accident during the ongoing conflict. I’m proud to lead this mission to [Ukraine], where we’re deploying in all of the country’s NPPs to provide assistance in nuclear safety & security," Grossi tweeted.
.@IAEAorg is expanding its presence in #Ukraine to help prevent a nuclear accident during the ongoing conflict. I’m proud to lead this mission to 🇺🇦, where we’re deploying in all of the country’s NPPs to provide assistance in nuclear safety & security. pic.twitter.com/hks7jMpLBj
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) January 16, 2023
On Friday, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency announced that he will travel to Ukraine this week to establish a "continuous presence" at all of the country's nuclear power plants.
Grossi pointed out that he will visit South Ukraine and Rivne Nuclear Power Plants, as well as Chernobyl, with two IAEA experts stationed at each location. As per a press release, a two-member team will also be stationed at the Khmelnitsky power plant.
Read more: UN nuclear watchdog starts 'dirty bomb' inspections in Ukraine
Last year, the IAEA established a presence at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Europe's largest nuclear power plant, amid concerns that nearby shelling could lead to a disaster.
Russian forces have had complete control over the Zaporozhye NPP since March, but drone attacks by Ukrainian forces have regularly targeted the facility, leading Russia to request help from the IAEA to address security issues.
Moscow has rejected previous claims, made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that it uses the Zaporozhye NPP as a military base.
Read more: Ukraine, Russia interested in Zaporozhye protection zone: IAEA chief
An IAEA mission led by Grossi arrived at the NPP on September 1, 2022, to inspect the facility and confirm that no dangerous leaks had taken place.
The head of the delegation of Russian energy giant Rosatom and employees of the NPP led the IAEA delegation through its territory and showed the sections of the station that were damaged during the shelling by Ukrainian troops.
The IAEA mission saw one of the Ukrainian shells fired at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
— #SupportPalestine #BDS #Yemen #Kashmir #Assange (@ChristineJameis) September 1, 2022
It missed the used nuclear fuel storage facility by a couple of dozen meters.
Korcha, an assistant to the head of Rosatom, told the IAEA director pic.twitter.com/1IS8O5g6SL
During the assessment, an adviser to Rosatom's head told Grossi said that Russia, Ukraine, and Europe will be on the verge of serious danger until the Ukrainian troops stop shelling the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Read more: Transfer of ZNPP control to third party ruled out: Russia FM
