After extensive searches, the International Atomic Energy Agency says there are no visible mines or explosives set by Russian troops at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
IAEA officials in recent days have been inspecting parts of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), including some sections of the perimeter of the plant’s large cooling pond, the agency said in a Wednesday statement. They have conducted regular walkdowns across the site, so far without observing any visible indications of mines or explosives, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The IAEA has requested additional access that is necessary to confirm the absence of mines or explosives at the site,l Grossi said. In particular, access to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4 is essential, as well as access to parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system at the plant, he said.
Grossi stressed that the IAEA team needs to check all parts of the ZNPP to monitor full compliance with the five basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Both Russian and Ukrainian statements of late have given opposing statements of the military situation at the site.
“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. 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,” Director General Grossi said.
The IAEA is aware of reports that mines and other explosives have been placed in and around the plant.
The five basic principles for the protection of the plant Grossi established on in May at the United Nations Security Council state that there should be no attack from or against the plant and that it should not be used as storage or a base for heavy weapons – multiple rocket launchers, artillery systems and munitions, and tanks.
Grossi said the IAEA team had not reported any recent shelling or explosions and added that the military presence at the site appeared unchanged.
Separately, the IAEA team reported that the single remaining main external 750 kilovolt power line had been reconnected to the plant on the afternoon of July 4, around 12 hours after it was suddenly cut, leaving the plant reliant on back-up power supplies.
The advocacy group Beyond Nuclear Thursday cited dueling accusations from Russian and Ukrainian officials that the plant has been rigged for demolition “or could be deliberately attacked during the current war there.” The group went on to say, “one absolute truth remains: nuclear power plants are inherently dangerous,” especially in a war zone. Zaporizhzhya “is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe with at least 2,204 tons of highly radioactive waste within the reactors and the irradiated fuel pools.”
