IAEA chief voices concern over lack of access to Zaporizhzhia NPP turbine halls
The Russian forces occupying the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have restricted IAEA inspectors from accessing certain premises, including turbine halls where Russian military equipment was observed.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is aware of the presence of Russian military and equipment in one of the machine rooms of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), but Russia does not allow IAEA Experts to access ZNPP Premises, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated, “For more than two years now, nuclear safety and security in Ukraine has been in constant jeopardy.”
Grossi reported that the IAEA experts at the ZNPP have heard explosions daily, with some appearing to come from near the site, “presumably from outgoing artillery fire.” Social media reports and images indicate the presence of Russian troops and vehicles inside one of the ZNPP’s turbine halls.
The IAEA chief said, “The ZNPP has still not provided timely and appropriate access for the IAEA experts to all areas important to nuclear safety and security.
In particular, they do not have access to some parts of the turbine halls, the isolation gate of the ZNPP cooling pond and the 330 kV open switchyard at the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant.”
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