The Norwegian Foreign Ministry announced on June 20 that Oslo will provide 250 million Norwegian kroner ($23 million) for Ukraine’s nuclear safety and security.
Around $9.3 million will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose experts are present at the Chornobyl site, the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and three other operational nuclear plants in Ukraine.
“IAEA experts provide the international community with independent, credible assessments of the state of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. It is vital for us to have access to this kind of independent information,” Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said.
Oslo also increases the funding for nuclear safety and security cooperation with Ukraine by $14 million. The funding will be administered by the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) and will be used to reduce the risk of radiological incidents.
The ministry noted that Norway was one of the first countries to deliver nuclear safety equipment following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, namely to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant and the Ukrainian border control authorities.
Fears over nuclear safety in Ukraine have been rising since Russia occupied the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear station in Europe, in March 2022.
The plant’s stability was put further at risk after the Kakhovka dam destruction on June 6. The station relied on water from the Kakhovka Reservoir to provide power for its turbine condensers.
IAEA’s chief Rafaelo Grossi visited the plant after the disaster, evaluating that the situation is “serious” but is being stabilized.
Stephen Zhao
