Vienna the 29th of August, : A group of experts from Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is headed to the city of Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station in the southern part of Ukraine Director of the agency Rafael Grossi said on Monday.
“The day is here, (IAEA’s) Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) is now on its way,” Grossi tweeted.
“We must ensure the security and safety of Ukraine’s and Europe’s largest nuclear facility.We are proud to be the leader of this mission that will be in the #ZNPP later this week.”
The IAEA’s experts were scheduled to evaluate physical damages to the facility, evaluate the effectiveness of security and safety systems, assess the conditions of staff and carry out urgent safeguards tasks according to dpa news agency, which quoted the IAEA as saying.
An inspection of the plant’s vital security and control mechanisms through IAEA experts, who are backed in the principle by all sides of the conflict, has not yet been realized due to the uncertainty of the issue of whether or not the group would go through the Russian-controlled territories or Ukrainian territory.
Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant with six reactors is strategically important to Ukraine’s power supply.
The plant, which is located in the south Ukrainian city of Enerhodar was taken by Russia in the early months of March.
The conflict has intensified at the complex in recent weeks, triggering alarms from world powers of the possibility of a catastrophic increase.
Both Kiev and Moscow have stated that the plant is in danger of an nuclear catastrophe due to the impact of the other side’s attacks.
Both sides deny taking any action against the facility and it is impossible to verify the information immediately from either side.
