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IAEA chief to lead mission to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Kakhovka dam demolition

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by Martin Fornusek
IAEA chief to lead mission to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Kakhovka dam demolition
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Rafael Grossi (C) talks to the press with Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko (L) and the Head of Ukraine's Energoatom Petro Kotin on a road outside Zaporizhzhia, on Sept. 1, 2022. (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will lead an IAEA mission to the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after the Kakhovka dam demolition.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, relies on water from the Kakhovka Reservoir to provide power for its turbine condensers, according to the Ukrainian state nuclear energy agency Energoatom.

Grossi announced his decision on social media after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 6.

"After concerning developments following the destruction of the Kahkovka HPP dam, I will be leading the next rotation of our IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia NPP (ISAMZ) next week with a reinforced team. A crucial moment for nuclear safety," IAEA's director wrote on Twitter.

Russian forces destroyed the Kakhovka dam on the morning of June 6, sparking a humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.

The breach caused the draining of the Kakhovka Reservoir, expected to be completely emptied out in two to four days.

The IAEA warned earlier in May that the situation at the plant is growing more dangerous due to frequent bombings nearby.

IAEA: ‘No immediate risk’ to nuclear safety at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on June 6 that it was closely monitoring the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after Russia blew up the Kakhovka dam, adding that there is “no immediate nuclear safety risk at the plant.”
The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan
Kakhovka Dam
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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