IAEA experts find damage to meteorological equipment at Zaporizhzhia NPP

The International Atomic Energy Agency found damage to meteorological monitoring equipment during a May 5 visit to the External Radiation Monitoring Laboratory at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

IAEA representatives visited the laboratory a day after the plant reported a drone attack.

“The inspectors found damage to part of the laboratory’s meteorological equipment, which is currently out of service,” the agency said in a statement.

Meteorological equipment plays a critical role in monitoring background radiation and ensuring safety.

The drone attack on the External Radiation Monitoring Laboratory took place on May 3. The facility that was attacked is located outside the perimeter of the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.

In addition, the agency recently sent another mission to assess the condition of electrical substations that ensure the stable operation of the NPP.

This includes the Zaporizhzhia NPP, which has repeatedly been left without external power supply since the beginning of the war, in particular on April 14 of this year.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP has been under occupation by Russian troops since March 2022. During this time, Russia has repeatedly tried to give its control over the facility a pseudo-legal status, disregarding the norms of international law.

As part of diplomatic efforts, the United States has proposed the option of joint management of the Zaporizhzhia NPP with the participation of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. At the same time, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyі stated that such an approach is unfair and unacceptable.

Moscow insists that the electricity that will be produced by the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP be divided between Ukraine and Russia.