IAEA chief to lead mission to Zaporizhzhia NPP

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he would personally head the mission that will deploy to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant next week after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine.

He announced this on Twitter following a conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrinform reports.

"After concerning developments following the destruction of the #Kakhovka HPP dam, I will be leading the next rotation of our IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya NPP (ISAMZ) next week with a reinforced team," Grossi wrote.

He also added that this is a "crucial moment for nuclear safety."

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Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky briefed IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi by phone about the large-scale consequences of Russia's terrorist act when the Kakhovka HPP dam was blown up.

As Ukrinform reported, Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka HPP on the night of June 6. As a result of detonation of the engine room from the inside, the facility was completely destroyed.

It should be recalled that the Zaporizhizhia NPP’s reactors are cooled down using the water from the Kakhovka Reservoir, which has been going shallow after the dam burst.

Evacuation of the population from potential flooding areas continues.

Photo: D. Calma/IAEA