(VOVWORLD) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is making progress on inspecting several parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine after claims it had been mined, said Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi on Friday in Tokyo.
 A view of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, June 15, 2023 (Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters) |
“We have been able to complete the tours of the cooling ponds and other places,” Grossi said, adding they had not seen any indications of explosives or mines.
He noted that IAEA officials had not yet been able to visit the facility’s rooftops. “I’m pretty confident that we will get this authorization,” Grossi added, saying that this is a combat zone and an active warzone, so sometimes it may take a day or two to get the authorizations.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is the biggest in Europe and one of four active nuclear plants in Ukraine, accounting for about 40% of the total electricity generated by all the Ukrainian nuclear power plants and one-fifth of Ukraine’s annual electricity production.
Ukraine and Russia are accusing each another of increasing tensions in this area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Moscow of planning to “simulate an attack on the plant."