Ukraine: the team of IAEA experts arrived at the Zaporizhia power plant

Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies showing bushfires outside the main facilities of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Monday August 29, 2022. AP

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4 mins

The delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived Thursday, September 1 at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, after being blocked for several hours about twenty kilometers from the site, due to new bombardments which occurred Thursday morning and for which kyiv and Moscow have once again rejected responsibility. 

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The long convoy carrying the UN agency's inspectors has arrived at the site where Russian troops are present in force and a Ukrainian source familiar with the situation told Reuters that the mission " 

 ".

According to the IAEA and the Ukrainian public energy company Energoatom, the convoy was delayed for three hours Thursday morning about twenty kilometers from the plant, at a checkpoint still held by the Ukrainians, until the situation become safe again after the new bombardments that occurred in the morning around the site.

Located in the city of Enerhodar, about 120 kilometers from the city of Zaporizhya from which it takes its name, the nuclear power plant to be visited by IAEA inspectors fell under Russian control in early March, shortly after the launch. of the offensive in Ukraine, but its operation remains ensured by Ukrainian technicians.

The surroundings of the power plant have been the subject of recurrent bombardments for several weeks, for which the Russians and Ukrainians reject responsibility, fueling fears of a nuclear catastrophe and prompting several countries and international organizations to demand the establishment of a demilitarized zone.

kyiv and Moscow once again accused each other of being behind the bombings that occurred on Thursday morning as the IAEA delegation was on its way to the plant.

⚡ IAEA's Support and Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) led by Director General @RafaelMGrossi has just arrived at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to conduct indispensable nuclear safety and security and safeguards activities.

— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) September 1, 2022

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, teacher-researcher in nuclear physics at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, at the microphone of

from the RFI international service.

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Emmanuelle Galichet:

An ideal mission is to be able to inspect the entire nuclear installation, both the reactor cores and the places where there are radioactive waste storages, and all the areas where there could be release of radioactivity.

And then, what would be even better, is obviously to be able to discuss with the operator, with the plant operators, and see a little bit about their working conditions.

They are going to inspect all the facilities that could have (been damaged) by the bombings, although it seems that there is not much that has (suffered) from the last bombings.

But they will still check everything.

And they're also going to turn on what's called the nuclear safeguards transmission systems,

data which must be transmitted to the IAEA automatically, and which make it possible to ensure that there is no radioactive discharge into the atmosphere.

(A system) that had been damaged, it seems in March, so we need to get those transmission systems working again.

What obstacles might arise?

The obstacles, on the part of the Russians I imagine, or the Ukrainians, would be not to want to speak with this inspection mission, but I believe that there will be no obstacles.

I am quite confident about the mission: the two belligerents have understood that perhaps it was enough to use this nuclear power plant as an object of war.

They saw that it wasn't much use, and both agreed to let the experts pass and have them on site.

So I don't think there will be a lot of obstacles.

The IAEA has indicated that it will try to establish a permanent presence in the plant, why?

It would be a very good thing if indeed (the IAEA) manages to have some experts who stay on site.

That would, in my opinion, allow the fighting to stop, around this plant in any case, because these are independent people, people (the experts) who do not belong to either side.

It would be very inappropriate to bomb or fire missiles, when you have completely independent people on the site.

I think it will help calm the battle around this site.

► To read also: Ukraine: risk of "spray of radioactive substances" at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

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