Last week, in denial of Russian allegations, Ukraine requested in writing an IAEA inspection at three sites in – the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Zhovti Kody, and Production Association Pivdennyi (South) Machine-Building Plant in Dnipro.
The IAEA said Ukraine has provided its inspectors with “unfettered access” to the locations.
The agency said inspectors have taken environmental samples for analysis at the IAEA’s safeguards laboratories. Such samples are commonly used safeguards measures with ultrasensitive analytical techniques that can provide information about past and current activities related to the handling of nuclear materials.
The IAEA also said a rotation team has arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station to relieve a previous four-member team at the site.
The Zaporizhzhia station lost all external power supply yesterday after renewed shelling cut connections to a main 750 kilovolt (kV) power line and a backup 330 kV, located in Ukraine-controlled territory.
The six-unit station has been receiving local power from emergency backup diesel generators since then. The IAEA said repair work on the 330 kV line is under way.
All six reactor units at Zaporizhzhia have been transferred to cold shutdown mode as a result of repetitive external power losses.
