The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this week provided Ukraine with a freight vehicle for the transport of radioactive material, its 150th delivery of equipment to support nuclear safety and security in the country during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.
State Enterprise USIE Izotop – involved in the management of radioactive material intended for medical, industrial and other purposes – received the truck that was funded by the European Union (EU) and Sweden. IAEA staff helped ensure that transport safety and security considerations were taken into account in the design of the vehicle.
“Since the start of the conflict three and a half years ago, the IAEA has coordinated assistance for Ukraine of a wide range of technical equipment, medical supplies and other items that are of vital importance for nuclear safety and security. These deliveries are part of our overall efforts aimed at preventing a nuclear accident during this devastating war,” Director General Grossi said.
“Thanks to the generous support of many of our Member States and the European Union, we have now carried out shipments with a total value of more than 19 million euros, each one helping to enhance different aspects of nuclear safety and security,” he said.
Several other deliveries have taken place in recent weeks, supported by Belgium, the EU and Japan: the regional state laboratory in Mykolaiv province – badly affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in mid-2023 – received a real-time PCR cycler (Polymerase Chain Reaction, a nuclear-derived technique) for fast and accurate analysis to help it fight the spread of disease as a result of the flooding; the medical unit of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant received an ultrasound system; and a subsidiary of national nuclear operator Energoatom received a cryostat system ensuring continuity of services affected by power cuts and liquid nitrogen supply challenges.
Director General Grossi said nuclear safety and security remains under threat in Ukraine.
At the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the IAEA team based at the site has continued to hear shelling, explosions, and gunfire almost every day.
Earlier this month, the ZNPP informed the IAEA team that the site’s training centre was targeted in a drone strike on 13 July, resulting in damage to its roof. There were no reports of casualties. The team was not granted access to assess the damage to the training centre located outside the site perimeter, with the plant citing security concerns.
In addition, the ZNPP’s off-site power situation continues to be extremely fragile, with the plant having had access to just one single power line for almost three months now, compared to ten before the conflict.
The nearby city of Enerhodar – where most ZNPP staff live – suffered an electricity blackout on 17 July due to damage to its main power line, according to information provided to the IAEA team members. They were also told that subsequent shelling had damaged some buildings in the city, which was also observed when the team visited Enerhodar on 19 July.
A forest fire near Enerhodar that caused smoke which was observed by the IAEA team last weekend has been extinguished without any impact on nuclear safety, the plant said.
The IAEA team has continued to carry out walkdowns across the ZNPP site to monitor nuclear safety and security, observing the testing of three emergency diesel generators as well as visiting the containment and safety system rooms of two reactor units.
They also discussed with the plant management different options for refilling the plant’s cooling pond following the loss of the Kakhovka dam two years ago and further planning on emergency preparedness and response, including preparations for a site exercise later this year.
At Ukraine’s operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – three of their total of nine units are currently in shutdown for refuelling and maintenance.
The IAEA team based at these plants, and the Chornobyl site, reported hearing air raid alarms nearly every day over the past week.
At the Khmelnytskyy and South Ukraine NPPs, the IAEA teams were informed that during the night of 18 July drones were detected a few kilometres away from the two sites. That same evening, the team at Chornobyl observed flashes of light and heard explosions in the distance.