Russians prevent IAEA experts from accessing reactor rooftops at Zaporizhzhia NPP

The relevant statement was made by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in the regular update on the situation in Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“The IAEA experts were informed by the ZNPP that they could not access the reactor rooftops as planned on 19 December due to security concerns.  No alternative date has so far been provided. The IAEA has previously this year been given access to three of the reactor roofs – of units 2, 3 and 4 – but not the others,” the report states.

In addition, the IAEA team was once again not granted access to the north-western part of the turbine hall of reactor unit 5 during a walkdown there last Monday, despite a request made before the visit. The IAEA has not been able to visit the north-western part of any of the six turbine halls since mid-October.

Meanwhile, in recent days, they went to the site’s 750 kV electrical switchyard, entry point for the off-site power needed at the plant, and the onsite water treatment facility. In another walkdown, the IAEA experts saw the ZNPP’s cooling pond, cooling towers, inlet and outlet channels as well as the outlet channel of the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant.

“However, they were not allowed this time to access the isolation gate of the cooling pond,” the IAEA noted.

An unannounced fire drill was conducted at the ZNPP site on Wednesday morning, following last week’s emergency communication exercise. The drill scenario involved a hypothetical oil leakage at the transformer of reactor unit 2, which resulted in a fire. The drill’s participants included regional, city and on-site fire departments. According to the update, the IAEA team was only made aware of the drill afterwards.

Photo: bbc.com