The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has carried out five deliveries of equipment and other technical assistance over the past week as it remains fully focused on helping to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict in Ukraine, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

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Since the beginning of the conflict more than three years ago, the IAEA has now organised a total of 125 such shipments to 29 counterparts in Ukraine, including its nuclear power plants (NPPs), the national operator Energoatom, the country’s regulator, technical support organizations and laboratories, emergency services, organizations handling radioactive material,  as well as health centres offering medical care to plant personnel and others.

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“This technical support is an important component of the IAEA’s overall efforts aimed at ensuring nuclear safety and security in Ukraine. We will continue to provide such critical assistance to Ukraine, prioritizing areas where it is most urgently needed, thanks to the generous donor support,” Director General Grossi said.

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In recent days, the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology received equipment to enhance nuclear security at the site, the South Ukraine NPP received a whole body counter to monitor internal exposures of its operating staff, USIE Izotop – which manages radioactive material intended for medical, industrial and other purposes – received a forklift to support the safe handling and transport of radioactive material, and the Khmelnytskyy and Rivne NPPs received influenza medication and dental care equipment.

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These deliveries were provided with funding from Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union. Since the start of the conflict, equipment worth almost 17 million euros has so far reached Ukraine. The IAEA is preparing further assistance for delivery.

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At Ukraine’s nuclear sites, frequent air raid alarms and the sound of explosions in the distance continued to highlight persistent risks to nuclear safety. On the night of 9 April, according to information from the site, eight drones were detected flying within 4 km of the South Ukraine NPP.

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At the Zaporizhzhya NPP (ZNPP), the IAEA team based at the site has continued to conduct regular walkdowns to monitor and assess nuclear safety and security, including to the dry spent fuel storage where the team observed the safety and security arrangements, the on-site radiation monitoring laboratory, and on-site warehouses.

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The team also discussed with the plant upcoming electrical maintenance activities as well as staffing levels, training and qualifications at the ZNPP.

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At the Khmelnytskyy and Rivne NPPs, one reactor at each site remains in shutdown for refuelling. On 5 April, two units at the Rivne site had to temporarily reduce their power output due to grid limitations, highlighting the ongoing difficulties caused by the fragile energy infrastructure. Also this past week, the team at the Khmelnytskyy NPP rotated.

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Text Courtesy, IAEA