(VIENNA, AUSTRIA) – Military activity has disrupted water supplies to some facilities at the Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and to nearby areas in southeastern Ukraine, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement.
Grossi confirmed that there is currently no shortage of water from the wells used to cool nuclear fuel inside the reactors. However, he said attacks on the city of Enerhodar and its surroundings, where a large part of the plant’s staff live, were aimed in particular at the local electricity infrastructure. This caused interruptions to water supply in the city and on the territory of the ZNPP.
“Reliable access to essential services and resources is extremely important for the wellbeing of the staff and for them to carry out their important work without disruption,” Grossi said.
He also reported that IAEA observers stationed at the plant have had only limited access to piped water since 18 July. Grossi did not mention either Ukraine or Russia by name when referring to the military activity in the area.
He noted that the IAEA team working at the site has not been able to visit the nearby emergency control centre since December because of safety concerns.
In his latest statement, Grossi repeated that the personnel of the nuclear power plant must be protected at all times.
Ukrainian media has previously reported that satellite images revealed another Russian attempt to connect the Zaporizhzhia plant to the temporarily occupied territories and to the Russian energy system. Ukrainian drone strikes disrupted the implementation of those plans. The plant also suffered its tenth blackout since the start of the year.