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IAEA Experts At Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant Request Additional Access To Confirm No Explosives Present

By RFE/RL July 05, 2023

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on July 5 called for additional access to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine to confirm there are no mines or explosives at the site after Ukraine and Russia accused each other of planning provocations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week reiterated warnings that Russia is planning provocations at the Russian-occupied facility, and the Ukrainian military said foreign objects similar to explosive devices were placed on the roof of the power plant.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in a statement on July 5 that the IAEA is aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), but IAEA experts on site have inspected parts of it and have not observed any visible indications of mines or explosives.

At the same time, they have requested additional access "that is necessary to confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site," Grossi said.

IAEA inspectors in particular want access to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4, he said.

The Ukrainian military said on July 4 that explosive devices had been placed on the outer roof of the third and fourth power units.

The IAEA also wants access to parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system at the plant, Grossi said.

Moscow's claims about a potential provocation at the plant came from an adviser to Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency who said Russia has received information that the Ukrainian Army will try to attack the ZNPP on the night of July 5.

Grossi, who has called for a security zone to be set up around the plant, stressed the importance of the IAEA team checking all parts of the plant to monitor full compliance with principals for protecting it and preventing a nuclear accident.

"With military tension and activities increasing in the region where this major nuclear power plant is located, our experts must be able to verify the facts on the ground," Grossi said.

"Their independent and objective reporting would help clarify the current situation at the site, which is crucial at a time like this with unconfirmed allegations and counter allegations," he added.

Grossi also said that the IAEA team present at the plant had not reported any recent shelling or explosions and added that the military presence at the site appeared unchanged.

Russian forces have occupied the plant since shortly after Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The plant, which is not generating electricity, has been affected by shelling that has caused outages of electrical power, which the plant needs to maintain the cooling of its reactors.

Grossi last visited the plant in June after the Kakhovka dam burst, saying then that he was "very concerned" about active combat near the plant.

The rupture of the dam downstream from the plant also caused a reduction in the supply of water in a reservoir used to refill a pond that the plant uses to keep its six reactors from overheating.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/zaporizhzhya- nuclear-power-plant-iaea-grossi-access/32490631.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.