The presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Ukraine's nuclear power plants (NPPs) remains an "invaluable asset" for the international community and must be preserved, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told Member States after the completion of a delayed team rotation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP).
"Difficult conditions have in the past month complicated and delayed the latest rotation of experts, which was safely completed in recent days," Director General Grossi said in his written introductory statement to the IAEA Board of Governors, which is holding its regular March meeting this week.
In December, a drone attack severely damaged an official IAEA vehicle during a rotation, and in February intense military activity forced the cancellation of the most recent planned rotation, which was finally concluded earlier this month. The current team at the ZNPP is the 27th since Director General Grossi established a continued IAEA presence at the site, where nuclear safety and security remains precarious.
Director General Grossi emphasized that "all the IAEA's activities in Ukraine are being conducted in line with relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly and of the IAEA policy-making organs".
At the ZNPP, the IAEA team has continued to hear explosions on most days over the past week, at varying distances.
The IAEA team at the ZNPP was informed that scheduled maintenance of part of the safety system of reactor unit 1 had been completed and returned to service. At the same time, maintenance began at another part of the same reactor's safety system.
At the Chornobyl site, firefighters have made progress in extinguishing the fire on the roof of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) caused by a drone strike on 14 February. The IAEA team at the site was informed that no smouldering fires had been detected over the past two days. The site continues to use thermal imaging and surveillance drones to monitor the structure.
The Chornobyl site has continued to perform frequent radiation monitoring and report the results to the IAEA team. The IAEA team has also undertaken its own independent monitoring. To date, all monitoring results have shown that there has not been any increase in the normal range of radiation levels measured at the site nor any abnormal readings detected.
The IAEA team at the Chornobyl site also reported multiple air raid alarms during the past week. In addition, the IAEA was informed by the Ukrainian regulator that the site recorded drone flights in the area early on 1 March.
Last week, a team of IAEA experts conducted another round of visits to seven electrical substations identified as critical for nuclear safety and security in Ukraine.
As during the previous visits last year, the team observed the current status of the substations and collected relevant information to assess any potential impacts of attacks in recent months to the safe operation of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and to identify any further technical assistance that could be provided by the IAEA.
The IAEA teams at Ukraine's operating NPPs - Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine - have continued to monitor the nuclear safety and security situation at these sites. The teams report hearing air raid alarms on most days, with the team at the Khmelnytskyy NPP having to shelter at the site on Monday. One reactor unit at the same plant last weekend began a planned outage for refuelling and maintenance.
Separately, the IAEA has continued with its comprehensive programme of nuclear safety and security assistance to Ukraine, with three new deliveries of equipment bringing the total number since the start of the armed conflict to 111.
The Hydrometeorological Centre and Hydrometeorological Organizations of the State Emergency Services of Ukraine received survey meters, the Centralised Spent Fuel Storage Facility of Energoatom received thermal imaging cameras and the medical unit of the Khmelnytskyy NPP received medical equipment and supplies. The deliveries were supported with funds provided by the European Union, Norway and the United States.
"We are grateful to all 30 donor states and the European Union for their extrabudgetary contributions, and I encourage those who can, to support the delivery of the comprehensive assistance programme, for which EUR 22 million are still necessary," Director General Grossi told the Board.
