A team of experts from the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is on its way to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, following months of tensions between the two nations, according to the agency.
On Monday, the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, tweeted: “We must protest the safety and security of Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear facility.”
This week, DG @rafaelmgrossi leads the IAEA Support & Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) to:
🔹Assess physical damage
🔹Determine functionality of safety & security systems
🔹Evaluate staff conditions
🔹Perform urgent safeguards activities
👉https://t.co/VKdJqxecgj https://t.co/miI73Pi9dI— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) August 29, 2022
In the tweet, the head of the nuclear watchdog agency highlighted the priorities of the teams, which include assessing damage, evaluating staff conditions, etc.
Concern has grown across the globe regarding the safety and security of the nuclear facility in the region as a result of fighting around the facility.
Rafael Grossi has repeatedly called for access to Zaporizhzhia in the last few days. He has urged all military personnel to withdraw from the plant so that it cannot be deemed to be a target.
Worries are mostly focused on the threat of damage occurring to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which contains six Soviet-designed water-cooled reactors containing uranium 235.
According to experts, shelling around the facility is not the main reason for mounting concerns. However, cutting the supply of electricity to the plant can lead to a disaster like Fukushima in 2011.
So far, both Russia and Ukraine have blamed one another for the series of attacks around the facility and allege that Russia is weaponizing the plant. And the information received from both parties about the status of the facility has been “contradictory,” the agency noted at the time, regarding its operation and damage sustained.(UN News)