IAEA starts permanent mission at South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team, headed by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, arrived at the South Ukrainian NPP on 16 January.

Source: Energoatom [state enterprise operating nuclear plants in Ukraine] 

The IAEA team arrived accompanied by Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, Energoatom President Petro Kotin and Oleh Korikov, the Acting Chief State Inspector for nuclear and radiation safety.

"During the raising of the IAEA flag over the plant, Raphael Grossi noted the importance of the permanent mission of the agency's inspectors. They will remain at the South Ukraine NPP for continuous control and monitoring of nuclear and radiation safety," the message reads.

The activities of the IAEA missions at all Ukrainian nuclear power plants will contribute to the strengthening of security at nuclear facilities in the face of constant Russian attacks, Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said.

"I thank the IAEA and Rafael Grossi personally for such a decision, and I hope that the direct presence of Agency representatives at our NPPs will allow us to assess the realities of Russian threats to nuclear and radiation safety from the inside," the minister said.

He recalled that the Russian Federation has been targeting energy facilities in Ukraine for more than three months. During one of them, a system accident occurred, as a result of which all nuclear power plants in Ukraine were simultaneously left without electricity and operated on backup power from diesel generators.

"When the enemy fires at energy infrastructure facilities connected in a single energy system with nuclear plants, this is also nuclear terrorism. Not to mention the numerous cases of missiles flying over nuclear power plants or shelling and capturing nuclear plants.

I am sure that in the near future we will return the flag of Ukraine and, together with Raphael Grossi, we will raise the IAEA flag over our Zaporizhzhia NPP," the minister summed up.

Background: The International Atomic Energy Agency is expanding its presence in Ukraine to help prevent a nuclear accident during the ongoing war.

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