The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is organizing new deliveries of equipment to Ukraine this week as part of efforts to help ensure nuclear safety and security during the current conflict, the third such assistance shipment to the country in the past few months, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.
A delivery of equipment donated by Sweden took place yesterday, and items procured by the IAEA with extra-budgetary support from France and the United States are arriving in the coming days, Director General Grossi said.
As a result of the latest deliveries, five entities in the country – including the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine and national nuclear operator Energoatom – will receive radiation monitoring equipment, mobile phones, portable power systems and other items they have requested.
Earlier this month, a second major assistance shipment arrived in the country, including radiation monitoring and personal protective equipment provided by Hungary, Romania and Spain. It followed an earlier shipment to Ukraine in July of equipment provided by Australia and procured with French support.
The deliveries of donated equipment are organized through the IAEA’s Response and Assistance Network (RANET), where countries can register their capabilities for support in areas ranging from radiation dose assessments and decontamination to nuclear installation assessment and advice, radioactive source search and recovery, and much else. The IAEA also procures equipment using established Agency mechanisms.
Separately today, IAEA experts present at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) were informed about two more landmine explosions outside the plant perimeter fence, bringing the total to five this week. One occurred yesterday afternoon in the area of a channel transporting water to the plant for its cooling system, which is essential for nuclear safety. It did not cause any damage. The second explosion took place at 1pm today some 500 metres from reactor unit 1. There was no major damage, but further investigations will be conducted. As the previous three landmine explosions reported by the IAEA this week, they were believed to have been caused by animals.
Director General Grossi reiterated his deep concern about the repeated occurrence of such landmine explosions near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, where frequent shelling has taken place over the past two months.