IAEA confirms the presence of mines at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

He International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Monday the presence of mines in the perimeter of the nuclear power plant of Zaporizhzhyaunder occupation russian in the south of Ukraine.

The mines were detected by experts from the UN during an inspection on Sunday and are located in a restricted area between the internal and external perimeter barriers of the complex and, in principle, out of the reach of plant personnel.

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“He IAEA He has learned of the placement of mines outside the perimeter of the facilities and also in specific places inside. Our team has raised this specific finding with the plant and they replied that it is a military decision, and in an area controlled by the military”, indicated the general director of the IAEA, the Argentine Rafael Grossiit’s a statement.

“Having such explosives on site is inconsistent with IAEA safety standards and nuclear safety guidance and creates additional psychological pressure on plant personnel”, criticized the Argentine diplomat.

However, the “initial evaluation” of the IAEA, says Grossi, is that the detonation of these mines “should not affect the site’s nuclear safety systems”.

The IAEA team has been conducting regular inspections and tours of the plant without observing any heavy military equipment so far, the statement said.

UN experts are still waiting to gain access to the roofs of the reactors, where the Ukrainian government claims it detected the presence of objects that could be explosive. The IAEA notes that on July 22, its team present at the plant heard several detonations some distance from the plant.

MORE INFORMATION: Would an explosion at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant be as catastrophic as the one at Chernobyl?

Experts say that over the weekend the nuclear power plant temporarily lost connection to the main 750 kilovolt power line due to a technical problem, underscoring the fragility of the situation amid the conflict.

The IAEA has been calling for months that the plant not be used to store weapons or explosives. Ukraine denounced in early July that Russia had planted explosives at the plant.

The plant’s six reactors, the largest of Europeare in a technical stop but electricity and water are still needed to cool them.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.