IAEA demands Russian occupiers allow attendance at ZNPP emergency drills
The International Atomic Energy Agency is calling on the Russian occupation administration at the Zaporizhzhia NPP to provide the agency's mission experts (ISAMZ) present at the station with the opportunity to observe the emergency drills planned for November.
This is mentioned in the statement of the IAEA Director General, Raphael Grossi, published on the agency's website.
"The IAEA team at the station has learned that emergency drills at the ZNPP will be held later in November. The last major drills at the ZNPP were held in November 2021, before the conflict began. Since then, there has been an unprecedented change in the number of personnel at the ZNPP, which may hinder the plant's ability to respond effectively," the statement said the agency stresses the need to allow the ISAMZ team to observe future exercises.
The IAEA also expressed concern that "some maintenance work on the safety systems of the reactor facilities could not have been fully completed, which required additional maintenance."
"This became evident in July and August after Unit 4 was placed on a 'hot' shutdown following safety maintenance. However, after Unit 4 was put back on a 'cold' shutdown in August due to a water leak in one of the steam generators, it also required additional maintenance to clean the heat exchangers of the power unit's safety systems," the statement said.
In addition, the agency emphasized that ISAMZ experts "need access to all six engine rooms for safety assessment." It states that on November 10, the experts "were again not allowed to visit part of the engine room of power unit #1, after receiving similar limited access to the engine rooms of power units #1, #2 and #4 during tours in October."
The IAEA was informed by the Russian occupation administration of the ZNPP last week that Rostechnadzor [the regulatory agency of the Russian government responsible for addressing environmental, technological, and nuclear concerns – ed]. "is establishing a more permanent presence at the ZNPP with the arrival of the head of nuclear and radiation safety inspections of the ZNPP." The agency's experts were told that the goal is to "ensure permanent supervision and regulatory control of the nuclear power plant (NPP), in accordance with Russian legislation, as well as issue licenses to employees."
In addition, it is reported that 21 gas boilers have been installed in the industrial zone near the Zaporizhzhia NPP as part of measures to provide additional heating in the winter, including for the neighboring city of Enerhodar.
Rubryka previously reported that the occupation administration of the Zaporizhzhia NPP plans to hold emergency drills in November – the first since the seizure of the power plant in early March 2022.
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It should be noted that the occupying forces seized the Zaporizhzhia NPP at the beginning of a full-scale invasion. The aggressors not only violate the station's mode of operation but also use warehouses for storing equipment and the location of human resources.
During the entire period of occupation, the station was disconnected from the energy systems of Ukraine several times.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly reported on the risks of a terrorist attack at the station. Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that the Russian Federation could create conditions that would cause a nuclear incident after the de-occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP by Ukrainian defenders.
In addition, the IAEA confirmed the presence of mines at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which had been installed by the invaders earlier.
